I think the entire country will be standing up to salute Huw Edwards today. The BBC newscaster has
stuck up for the country's national broadcaster that is
so beloved by Brits we give it the nickname "Aunty."
I think many in journalism were shocked at the criticism the BBC received from both sides of the political divide and the particularly vile
social media comments levelled against its political editor, Laura Kuennsberg.
For some reason, it's always the leading female presenters who get the most flack. I'm sure Kay Burley on Sky
News would agree.
For me, Huw really hits the nail on the head when he talks about the moaning and accusations of "toxic" reporting as being more at home in the US where Fox
News is generally considered to be a Republican-leaning channel.
In the UK, of course, broadcast journalists are held to far higher standards on impartiality than their print counterparts.
Ofcom ensures that public service broadcasters, ie the terrestrial channels, keep their news unbiased and based on fact.
This is probably why the BBC has come in for such unwarranted
criticism. The papers have pretty much chosen sides years ago with The Sun backing Boris against the red-leaning Daily Mirror and the Torygraph being shorthand for
The Telegraph.
With print so obviously leaning toward one party or the other, angry election losers can only turn to television to moan about how biased reporting robbed them of
victory.
The truth is far more simple. Labour was pointing both ways on Brexit. Anyone who wanted to "Get Brexit Done" typically felt they only had Boris to trust. As for Labour's pledge to
offer everyone free broadband by nationalising a part of BT, alongside the utilities and rail companies.
It was just a tax-and-spend programme out of the 70s, which Labour still hasn't learned
is the surest way to get a Conservative government elected.
News that the frontrunner to become leader of the Labour Party is a so-called "Corbynista" suggests it is a lesson they have
still yet to learn.
One might suggest to the Labour Party that the fact Boris is avoiding BBC Radio 4's Today programme rather tells another story.
According to the
Conservative Party, the station -- or at least the show -- is anti-Tory. So come on, guys -- you can't have it both ways.
If the BBC is being criticised by both sides, it must surely be doing
something right? You can't be biased against both sides of the political debate.
Last week, the nation spoke loud and clear. Labour's manifesto and very odd stance on Brexit was shunned
in favour of Boris' very simple message on our future relationship with the EU.
You can shoot the messenger all you like and you can cry foul over invented accusations of bias, but please
leave the BBC alone.
I would say it's like arguing with the ref, but the BBC is not in the middle refereeing a match. It's there to report on the news, and the fact that it was such an awful
result for Labour is not its fault.
The man responsible is leaving, and it's time the party realised that another hard-line left winger in charge will ensure that Boris remains in power for
the rest of the decade.