Comment
The SKWAWKBOX’s article at the weekend on the ‘MSM’ silence regarding the International Peace Bureau (IPB) award to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn went viral, changing the narrative and forcing the Establishment to defend its omission.
Judging by the feedback this blog has received, a significant number of people complained to the BBC about its failure to cover the award to the leader of the UK’s official opposition party that is leading in voting intention polls.
The BBC has apparently been sending the same cut-and-paste response to all complainants – or rather, non-response, as it does not address the substance of the complaint – as we have received it from many readers:
Thank you for contacting us regarding our recent news coverage.
We understand that you feel there has been insufficient coverage of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech at the UN on Friday 8th December and insufficient coverage of him being awarded the Séan MacBride Peace Prize.
Many speeches and award ceremonies take place around the world every week. We decide which ones to cover on a case by case basis, taking into account their strength as a news story relative to the day’s other events. There will sometimes be disagreements about whether we should have covered certain stories, and the prominence we give to others, but we’re sorry you were disappointed that we did not report on this particular event.
Please be assured that your comments have been passed to the News team and we appreciate the time you’ve taken to get in touch.
Kind Regards
BBC Complaints Team
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
The response is striking for its failure to address the substance of the complaints. ‘Many speeches and award ceremonies take place around the world every week’ – but only one was awarded to one of the UK’s leading and most recognisable politicians.
Which makes it newsworthy – and makes ‘many… around the world’ entirely irrelevant.
Readers spoke of the contempt they perceived in the rote response – and one commented:
An utterly disgraceful reply from the BBC that completely missed the points I raised with them. I guess from their reply they are struggling to find any justification not to cover it.
Whatever the scenario behind the scenes, to its unhappy viewers it certainly appears that way.
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The BBC is unaccountable to the public – it sends out these replies ad nauseum.Their complaint form is about 10 pages long if you can find it – it is pointless to complain to them – they should just be closed – only achieved by people not paying for it!! It is a government tool involved in the subversion of other governments and acting as a guard for the british government/establishment – it is best IGNORED
PEOPLE STOP PAYING THE TV TAX
Unfortunately we can not report the BBC to an ombudsman as it investigates itself like a true propaganda machine should.
BBC …… Bloody Bullshit Company more like !!!
I am afraid the BBC needs to called to account from the Board members down to the news execs. Sack them, The BBC has to be neutral in the news and political Programmes.
Agreed but that is easier said than done when the Tories have their foot in the door at every regulator going
This may be true for now. I am hoping a future labour government would put this to rights.
What? And become a Labour mouthpiece / Echo chamber?
Thats every bit as bad as what we see now.
No I was hoping they would make it compulsory neutral in news and political programmes.
I wrote to them – I asked why an item about the Prime Minister putting a decoration on a Christmas tree had been deemed more newsworthy than the Leader of the Opposition receiving an international peace prize?
I got the answer shown below… Yup, cut ‘n’ paste at its best. No reply to my actual question..!
The first Broadcasting station worldwide!
Has now, become a mouthpiece for the Tories and the Right!
Of which, we the watcher, pay large amounts of money each year providing program funding, not to be a partisan, rightwing, broadcaster, that sends cut and paste replies, to the general public, who complain, about their none neutrality in the political theatre!
As licence fee payers, we should petition Jeremy Corbyn that once in government, he should abolish the licence fee altogether.
I am one of those individuals they shunned with a generic response. I don’t even think they read my email.
This really does show just how partisan the BBC have become for the tories, and it makes me mad that I have to pay for a licence to them, or risk a fine or imprisonment, when they won’t listen to the many people complaining of their decision not to print about Jeremy Corbyn’s much deserved award!
Any of you mugs still paying the licence fee?
DON’T.
Go (legally) licence free. All the info (plus more) you need here
http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk
Yes, I received the same response from the BBC, in spite of my pointing out that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour were 8 points ahead in the public’s voting intentions, and yet the BBC don’t think we deserve to know of the award! Shameful.
The BBC is little more than a lap dog as long as government continues to be able to threaten the BBC with the abolition of the licence fee.