Does the BBC have a Pro-EU Bias?

[Harrystottle]

BBC news, 2 pm today. Lead story, Bank of England says Brexit "could" lead to this that and the other awful, catastrophic things.

 

2,27 pm, BBC news mentions the fact that 1.2 million more insurance numbers have been given out to EU nationals than was previously thought. So there could be 1.2 more EU immigrants in the country than was previously thought.

 

So leading the news you have a Project Fear opinion.

 

Much further down the batting order and getting much less airtime, you have a fact on immigration, which concerns many in this country and supports the Brexit arguments of pressure on public services and holding down wages.

 

The BBC's bias is off the scale.

[spilldig]

BBC news, 2 pm today. Lead story, Bank of England says Brexit "could" lead to this that and the other awful, catastrophic things.

 

2,27 pm, BBC news mentions the fact that 1.2 million more insurance numbers have been given out to EU nationals than was previously thought. So there could be 1.2 more EU immigrants in the country than was previously thought.

 

So leading the news you have a Project Fear opinion.

 

Much further down the batting order and getting much less airtime, you have a fact on immigration, which concerns many in this country and supports the Brexit arguments of pressure on public services and holding down wages.

 

The BBC's bias is off the scale.

 

Agreed .

[Zamo]

Do the BBC have a pro EU bias? No, I don't think so. They're just reflecting the majority view; anti EU = regressive microphallic freakery.

 

I know many people who tell me they will vote to stay in the EU but not one because they support the idea of being part of a 'progressive' European superstate. If fact, most would prefer not to be part of a European superstate and are only voting to stay because the fear campaign has done it's job. Your claim that there is popular support for the EU is akin to a rapist claiming consent when a victim says 'yes' whilst having a knife pressed against her throat.

 

The BBC sure does have a bias. Yesterday evening a former head of MI6 issued a stark warning that EU handling of the migration crisis threatens a 'popular uprising'. The story is already relegated to the back pages to make way for bigger news stories, such as the BBC stopping the posting of recipes on their website.

[Jeffrey Shaw]

I know many people who tell me they will vote to stay in the EU but not one because they support the idea of being part of a 'progressive' European superstate. If fact, most would prefer not to be part of a European superstate and are only voting to stay because the fear campaign has done it's job. Your claim that there is popular support for the EU is akin to a rapist claiming consent when a victim says 'yes' whilst having a knife pressed against her throat.

 

The BBC sure does have a bias. Yesterday evening a former head of MI6 issued a stark warning that EU handling of the migration crisis threatens a 'popular uprising'. The story is already relegated to the back pages to make way for bigger news stories, such as the BBC stopping the posting of recipes on their website.

The 'ever-closer union' concept is not imaginary; the EU proudly blazons it, and it derives from the founding treaties.

So vote but only knowing that undeniable fact.

[LeMaquis]

I know many people who tell me they will vote to stay in the EU......and are only voting to stay because the fear campaign has done it's job.

 

Talking to you has probably convinced them too that's it's best to stay.

[Halibut]

 

The BBC sure does have a bias. Yesterday evening a former head of MI6 issued a stark warning that EU handling of the migration crisis threatens a 'popular uprising'. The story is already relegated to the back pages to make way for bigger news stories, such as the BBC stopping the posting of recipes on their website.

 

That's not evidence of bias. That's just how news works.

 

---------- Post added 17-05-2016 at 18:18 ----------

 

Talking to you has probably convinced them too that's it's best to stay.

 

Lolz. Most sane people can spot a cynical, xenophobic promoter of racial/religious disharmony a mile off.

[Harrystottle]

Sky led their news last week with the story of people smugglers being chased through Belgium into France after they had threatened lorry drivers with knives, before the Gendarmerie blew the smugglers tyres out with gunfire. I mean, dramatic story, right?

On the BBC news, it was way down the list and got 20seconds of airtime. No mention of drivers being threatened with knives either. The BBC gave more airtime to the story of the dancing policemen from around the world.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Harrystottle

[Zamo]

That's not evidence of bias. That's just how news works.

 

A populist uprising would be disastrous for everyone living in Europe and the consequences would resonate around the world. Yet a warning from a former head of MI6 that EU policy is risking just that is relegated, within hours, to the 'back pages'. Bumped off by more important news such as the BBC going to stop posting recipes on its' website. The weighting applied when deciding what's the big news story seems very skewed to me.

 

Lolz. Most sane people can spot a cynical, xenophobic promoter of racial/religious disharmony a mile off.

 

You seem to think that anyone who doesn't pretend that all religions and cultures are 'equal' is xenophobic or racist. It is childish thinking and following such a ridiculous politically correct code means you ultimately betray your own values. There are religions and cultures that teach intolerance and discrimination but you choose to only criticise those where the majority of the people are white (e.g. Christianity/Catholics) and ignore those where the majority of the people are brown (e.g. Islam)... that makes you the racist. Stop the self-flagellation and man up.

[L00b]

I know many people who tell me they will vote to stay in the EU but not one because they support the idea of being part of a 'progressive' European superstate. If fact, most would prefer not to be part of a European superstate

Sounds like sane and rational people who, unlike most Brexiters and others pushing agendas on here, have actually understood that Cameron got the UK clean out of the 'ever closer union'.

and are only voting to stay because the fear campaign has done it's job.

Perish the thought that they'd actually vote to stay because their individual, objective and rational weighing of the in/out question results in a vote stay rather than to leave.

 

Nah, if they're wanting to vote remain, they must be behaving irrationally

 

Confirmation bias, much?

 

I daresay most Remainers are not taken in by any fear-mongering, and certainly not about EU integration (because there won't be any further for the UK) and furreiners (because EU membership is irrelevant to non-EU immigration, which yields the largest 'new Muslim' contingent by very far).

 

...and in that context, much LOLz were had last night at the latest VoteLeave plank of argument (reported by C4 news) about Indian restaurants who can't get staff into the UK 'because the EU' (...when the EU has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with non-EU immigration, from which much if not all of that staff comes)

[Zamo]

Sounds like sane and rational people who, unlike most Brexiters and others pushing agendas on here, have actually understood that Cameron got the UK clean out of the 'ever closer union'.

Perish the thought that they'd actually vote to stay because their individual, objective and rational weighing of the in/out question results in a vote stay rather than to leave.

 

Nah, if they're wanting to vote remain, they must be behaving irrationally

 

Confirmation bias, much?

 

I daresay most Remainers are not taken in by any fear-mongering, and certainly not about EU integration (because there won't be any further for the UK) and furreiners (because EU membership is irrelevant to non-EU immigration, which yields the largest 'new Muslim' contingent by very far).

 

...and in that context, much LOLz were had last night at the latest VoteLeave plank of argument (reported by C4 news) about Indian restaurants who can't get staff into the UK 'because the EU' (...when the EU has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with non-EU immigration, from which much if not all of that staff comes)

 

You are putting a lot of words in my mouth there L00b. I've not said it is irrational to want to remain in the EU. I said that most people (that I know) who will vote to remain will do so because there are fearful of what will happen if we leave and not because they are fans of the EU... a specific rebuttal of Halibut's claim that a vote to remain is an endorsement of the EU. fear is often ration and I have not once said it is irrational to go for what might seem like the safer option. But doing what is safest is not always the right thing to do.

 

Leaving the EU in no panacea for all our problems, including immigration. What it is is the opportunity to take back full ownership and responsibility and the ability to hold our own government 100% to account. It is about the British, as a nation, deciding what laws to live under and what immigration and asylum policies to adopt. It is about not sharing these decisions with other nations because different people have different values, beliefs and priorities. For me it is a matter of principle and I believe the vast majority of people in this country would prefer this and the only reason the vote is close is because of the financial threats being made.

 

The EU has morphed into something most people do not like or want. Most people would prefer it to climb back into the trade body box from where it came but the EU has bigger ambitions and is now using the financial power entrusted to it to coerce people into yielding to its' rule. It is wrong and we should stand up to it by voting to leave. If we leave then others will follow and then we will genuinely get the real reform that people want. The 'no ever closer union' concession won by Cameron is too little too late.