To think the BBC's descriptions of Corbyn and Watson are unfair and prejudiced?

[PlayingSolitaire]

This is not a political thread, but a thread about descriptions used by journalists and whether or not they are right and fair to use the words they do.

I saw the news Jeremy Corbyn has been elected Labour's new leader and clicked on the BBC article to read about it. The first sentence began "The veteran left winger...".

I then clicked on the article about Tom Watson, which within he first paragraph described him as a "political heavyweight bruiser".

It seems to me that the BBC are subtly calling Corbyn 'old' and Watson 'overweight'. Am I reading too much into it? Is it fair to use such leading words/phrases about someone's personal characteristics when the articles should be about their politics? Is it because they can get away with digs about age and weight, whereas a comment about someone's skin colour would never be allowed (unless they made a dig at the Labour London Mayor as I don't think I read that article)?

What do you think?

You're absolutely not reading too much into it. The media have been running subtle and not-so-subtle hatchet jobs on Corbyn all along.

Well corbyn is a veteran MP and he is a left winger.

What I think is ... you're reading too much into it.

What about the dig at Tom Watson? That seemed even more nasty. Like when people say a child is a "bruiser", you know they mean fat.

Better than sky news who described the new Labour leadership team as ' Tom & Jerry'. How on earth did they get away with that??

YANBU. It's not accidental they know exactly what they are doing. I really don't get this widespread perception many have that the BBC are really left wing, I've no idea what they base that idea on.

To be fair Tom Watson has put some weight on since he stopped playing golf.

"Veteran left winger" is fair enough, but viewed from across the Channel your media have a huge anti-Corbyn bias, and coverage has very much NOT been even-handed.

I agree with you, op.

I guess deputy's job is to rally the troops not lead ideology.
Is TW going to work well with JC? Do they get along, have similar views?

ps: I didn't know bruiser = fat. I thought it meant "tough & mean!"

... making Margaret Thatcher the ultimate heavyweight bruiser.

I take heavyweight to mean he is a contender and respected

I take bruiser to mean he is ready to stand his ground an fight for what he believes

I take veteran to mean with much experience over time

I don't see any of that as an insult and find it of that people would automatically see that as biased against them