BBC bias. Boris 51.5%: "tight margin". Hollande 51.7%: "clear victory"

The example of how the subjective words could have been used the other way round wasn't intended as an example of an actual headline. It was meant to illustrate how the words could be used the other way round with same accuracy but different effect and, because of that, how the selection is an example of editorial preference.

Oh god, LFN its not all a conspiracy. The Tories had a shit election, the media reported it. The Mail had the same slant as the beeb.

Sorry your team took a bashing, happens to them all at some point.

But given two years ago Cameron was way higher in the polls with the beeb reporting news then too, I don't see why they are to blame for his bad results now.

yoou didn't hear Eddie Mair ripping into Chris Bryant the other day then, lfn?

They were dealing with very different sized populations though. The numbers of voters who swung both these elections must have been much much higher in France therefore it WAS a much stronger result.

Edith your suggested headlines may be factually correct but they are a bit zzzzzz so I am assuming you don't work in print journalism!

It is how political reporting goes, it's how it is. I don't understand why people get their knickers/underpants in a twist really. Basically 'Boris won by a small bit' is less exciting than 'Mayorla race cliff hanger'.

If you're so clever as to run every story through your own political filter anyway, what difference does it make? Surely everyone is capable of that - or do you assume you are operating at a more sophisticated level than the 'average' reader/viewer?

Good points, PullUpAPew

Interestingly the Daily Mail described how Boris won by a 'blond whisker'. Maybe they're also politically biased against the Tories?

And ConservativeHome describes how Sarkozy was 'swept from power'. Maybe they have left wing bias too?

Claig - thanks for your input. Actually I pick up my copy of The Economist instead for sensible, balanced, properly informed, pithy and intelligent analysis and I suggest you do the same.

'Drives me mad - I shout at the Today programme all the time.'

For your own health, please turn it off and pick up the Daily Mail. That will calm you down.

You're right. It's insidious, chronic and very clever left wing bias. If you're a Conservative voter working for the BBC you're virtually treated like a leper. Drives me mad - I shout at the Today programme all the time.

'Or they could just dump subjective language in the main news and headlines'

but that would mean letting the people make up their own minds.

I think it is bias.

I agree with pullupapew that how the margin is interpreted depends on expectations, but the characterisation of the margin itself as "tight" or "clear" does not serve that end. For Boris, it would have been just as accurate to say something along the lines of "a clear majority though smaller than expected at some points during the campaign"; or in France "a tight majority following LePen's lack of endorsement of Sarkozy".

Or they could just dump subjective language in the main news and headlines, and leave it to longer commentaries only.

oh LFN, you do make me laugh.

Totally agree with PullUpAPew. Everyone expected Boris to win by a country mile, so he performed less well than expected against Livingstone. But everyone was convinced that Sarkozy and Hollande were neck-a-neck, and therefore 51.7% made it clear that Hollande was the winner.

It's really not bias.

Often political reporting is the interpretation of actual result vs. expectations so for Boris, that was a tight margin. The morning of the count people were talking about six point leads, yet we had hours and hours of 'too close to call'. Boris' result is also a worsening of his position four years ago.

In France there was real speculation about where Le Pen's votes would go and all talk ahead of the poll was of Hollande's 'slim lead'. The Socialist result there is a major turn around on the last presidential election. So it was a clear victory in those terms.

Plus there is a news angle to talking up/linking the Greek & French left-wing stories.

IMO it isn't political bias, it's about news. Of course there is a news spin on it, otherwise it would be boring.