Tuesday, October 24, 2006

BBC Rejects Bias Admission

The BBC has kept the claims made by its senior members that it is institutionally biased very quiet. Nevertheless, hidden away in the editors' blog is an entry from Helen Boaden attempting to explain. The entry does not make any attempt to deny that the claims made are true.

No, the quotes are completely accurate, but it doesn't matter because:

The main thing is, however, they were both giving their personal opinions. That is entirely their right and what they had been asked to do in the interests of discussion. I disagree with them. I found their claim of liberal bias unconvincing -– based on anecdote and attitude rather than evidence.
After this simple and rather pathetic attempt to spin the story she finished with this:
It'’s a shame that the newspapers have made mischief with the seminar, but we won'’t let this small storm put us off trying to get impartiality right.