Journalist Assed Baig has worked all over the world, including for BBC News, and is now employed by Channel 4. This morning he put out a series of tweets on the topic of the media’s current attacks on independent left media like the SKWAWKBOX and the discomfort that has led to it.
He nails it, while generously accepting that most MSM (mainstream media) journalists are trying – but often failing – to be unbiased:
Recently the BBC’s Nick Robinson and others have launched into a number of attacks on publications such as this blog, including blaming them for the collapse of public trust in the BBC and other MSM.
You don’t have to look too hard to see that the real reason is exactly the bias that Mr Baig considers largely unintentional. Even the BBC’s own report shows that bias to be huge – and largely in favour of the Tories, though many would argue there was also a large helping of undue attention for Farage helping UKIP to a level of influence it did not merit, at least to begin with.
Whatever your opinion of Mr Baig’s conclusion that the bias is largely unintentional, there seems little credible room for doubt that he’s spot on about the fact of it – and about the motives underlying the ongoing attacks by the Establishment and its allied media on the independent outlets that threaten them.
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The low standard of journalism and complete lack of impartiality of the MSM can probably be traced back to the Iraq war, when the MSM was whipped into acting as the pro-war establishment’s mouthpiece.
This has led to its credibility being highly damaged, possibly irreparably so.
The MSM faces a further problem. Due to its lack of impartiality and habitual dissemination of establishment propaganda, it has forced the Labour Party to find another route to promote its messaging through the new media network.
Access is a key component of journalism. The new media outlets, such as Skwawkbox, now have priority access to the next Labour Government. As we learned from the recent General Election, the Labour Party no longer needs to offer the previous levels of access to traditional MSM outlets.
This means that the MSM has little credibility and very limited access.
That is a toxic combination for any media organisation.
Absolutely agree. What’s amazing in the media is the elephant in the room. This is clearly a game changer now in terms of politics, media, democracy but where is the debate, the discussion, the analysis. Totally absent.
The problem is that the economic and political orthodoxy has assumed a Gramscian hegemony, whereby it is not seen as ideological, but simply common-sense. Neoliberalism and austerity are therefore, in most journalists’ eyes, not controversial subjects.
Surprising isn’t how many BBC journalists have crossed over to work for this hideous Tory government, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the next Tory leader appointing Kussenberg as Communications Director.
Corruption is rife with British society, except unlike maybe Russia, it’s largely hidden behind closed doors, via memberships of the Freemasons, the Tory party or some other rightwing organisation.
I have worked in many of our public services, including one of our biggest Trade Unions and can effectively say ‘it rife’..
Nobody wants to tackle the gravy train, HSBC nearly lost their US Banking licence until Osborne stuck his craw in and claimed ‘it would cause another economic crash’…
Class indoctrination is more potent than religious indoctrination because it starts at birth and comes directly from the parents.
Privilege though, like religion, can be considered intellectually and rejected.
Journalistic bias involves selective reporting if not outright lies – this is never inadvertent, unintentional or unplanned.
Dishonest journalists are a plague on democracy undeserving of forgiveness.
There’s better journalism and supporting analysis in this post and its below-the-line comments than in a country mile of blustery MSM toilet paper.
To be fair my single biggest reason for hating the BBC is it protected a known and prolific paedophile. Jimmy Saville. For years. Recently seeing how biased the BBC is, how they snuggle up to the Tories to extend their license fee and protect it. Without state intervention BBC would likey be bankrupt. It’s obsolete. The new media has merely filled the void that was left for geniune journalism and news.
I actually trust RT more than BBC as I know RT is a state broadcaster but it covers non Russian issues better than the BBC which extends its bias into every facet of its broadcasting
The MSM like the BBC don’t like the competition coming from independent media particulary the Left media.
Swawkbox and other left wing independent sites like Kitty Jones’ excellent journalism exposing the cruelty of Tory welfare reforms are delivering highly researched, detailed and evidenced based, passionate investigate journalism.
The standards of the reports on the BBC are diabolical, even my 14 year old daughter can write better than some of the Oxbridge educated Tory stooges. With Kussenberg, Neil,Robinson and Dimbley all with links to the Tories, the BBC clearly doesn’t want the people to know the real news.