BBC HWK

1)            The BBC is supposed to be impartial. Has it ever been accused of being biased (the opposite of impartial)? When and why? (Use the internet to research; check your sources carefully - is the website you are using BIASED itself?

5^th of March 2007:
Robin Aitken, a former BBC reporter for 25 years, has launched his new book Can you trust the BBC? to much acclaim. But Aitken's approach is old-fashioned. His view that the BBC's news and current affairs output over the past few decades and now is biased relied on the use of a defunct political concept: 'left-wing.

Speaking alongside Peter Horrocks, head of TV News at the BBC, and Jean Seaton, professor of media history at the University of Westminster, Aitken argued that the BBC may be free from commercial bias, but not from political or cultural bias. Aitken says he spotted plenty of examples of the BBC's institutional bias while working for the corporation. Having been a reporter in the 1980s, he claims that the BBC didn't like Margaret Thatcher's government. Today, the BBC doesn't cover 'unfashionable subjects', he says. More recently, the BBC called Blair a liar over claims about weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and treated Alaistair Campbell as if he were mad. For Aitken, the BBC had an editorial construct that it held to regarding the WMD story. The question they missed, he said, was: what is it we are fighting for in Iraq and, is it worth fighting for?

During my research of the BBC, I had found many scenarios where the BBC where biased however, I chose to look into the above scenario as I found this convincing. It seems that the BBC can be biased at points but are trying to be impartial as they were accused of breaking its own guidelines by screening an episode of The Vicar of Dibley which promoted the Make Poverty History campaign. There was a report made which was quoted by former political editor Andrew Marr, who said the BBC has an "innate liberal bias". There are websites that talk about the BBC being biased. However, many of these websites are biased themselves.

2. Why do you think it is important for the BBC to be impartial? (Think about the way it is funded.)

I think it is very important for the BBC to be impartial as everyone has their own say and every individual deserves to be heard. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if the BBC are biased, it is not fair as they are funded by the public through TV license so they should get a say. The BBC shouldn’t be biased, they should be fair. Instead of being biased they could always talk about different opinions without taking sides and deciding what is right and wrong.

3. Do you think it is POSSIBLE for a media institution to be impartial? Why/ why not?

It is possible for media institutions to be impartial as they can always include everybody’s opinions rather than their own. They do not have to state only one particular opinion and argue for or against it. Media institutions can have a website where anyone can state their opinions.

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of trying to be impartial, for a media institution?

An advantage of a media institution trying to be impartial is that they can look at all different views and opinions from different audiences.

A disadvantage about being impartial maybe that there will be more debates about what people think is right and wrong.