AIBU to think Laura Kuenssberg should be sacked?

[GhoulishGertie]

Apologies if this is is/has been discussed elsewhere; I expected there to be a thread already but I can't find anything ...

LK is the BBC's political editor, but shows no sign of being fair, impartial or balanced in her reporting. She seems to have a passionate, unchecked loathing of Jeremy Corbyn/the Labour Party - an obsession almost - and is making the BBC News unwatchable for everyone in our house - even the kids have picked up on her twitching, sour face when she's reporting on anything Corbyn-related! Surely this revelation about her part in engineering for Stephen Doughty to resign live on Daily Politics crosses a line where the new isn't being reported it's being manipulated and spun for entertainment/propaganda and she is a delighted participant who is failing to report in the public interest?

She is extremely irritating and her facial grimaces betray her barely disguised glee in reporting anything negative about Labour. However, this latest episode has merely served to crystallise many people's thoughts about her and provided clear evidence of her manipulation and biassed agenda. See the evidence of this blog which was hastily deleted tompride.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/bbc-producer-deletes-blog-where-he-admits-political-manipulation-before-pm-questions/

I don't like to say this about another woman, but encouraging Doughty to resign on air for maximum "political impact" just before PMQ is in clear breach of the BBC guidelines re: impartiality. It allowed Cameron to deflect legitimate questions about flooding. Given that we are all paying her wages via the licence fee this is outrageous behaviour and definitely a sackable offence.

Her facial grimaces are more like a tic rufus. Think of Elvis or even Huw Edwards and their upward lip curl. So, you are accusing her of consciously doing something she cannot control? To mistake that for bias would be foolish at the very least, and sexist or cruel at worst.

And it's funny how you can so easily pick up on a female reporter's bias by concentrating on her appearance. Political bias meets gender bias, dontcha think? She wouldn't last five minutes if she was anything less than even-handed. If you want a Tory, go after her predecessor Nick Robinson. Perhaps you can find some bias in the way he wears his glasses.

Hillfarmer: It was actually my teen dd and her friends who mentioned her sneering expression (which she doesn’t adopt all the time, or even display randomly, only when she’s being disparaging … so it can’t be a tic, though it is most likely unconscious). The twitching, I should have been clearer, actually meant her jerky arm gestures (which admittedly she DOES do all the time, regardless of the story) and appears to be deliberately chosen body to emphasise her ‘point’). No sexism or gender bias behind these observations, I do assure you, they would have been equally applied to a male reporter, but we weren’t actually discussing a male reporter, so ….. As for your assertion that she ‘wouldn’t last five minutes’ if she were biased, Tory party activist Nick Robinson lasted 10 years in the job and weathered God knows how many controversies along the way, so I don’t think that’s an argument that really holds up.

I noticed she didn't seem to like Alex Salmond. But then I don't either so it didn't bother me!

Plus in all seriousness she asked him the right questions and that after all is the crux of the job.

I'm not keen on her reporting style and agree she does come across as very anti Corbyn. I've never noticed a BBC journalist as unimpartial as her.

I loathe the BBC. There, I said it.

The BBC is an establishment mouthpiece. It espouses the beliefs, values and opinions of the British and European elite, and this elite is now neither left-wing nor right-wing, but adheres to a globalist ideology.

This is why lefties think the BBC is right-wing and right-wingers think it is left-wing. In reality, the BBC is both and neither. Globalism is an ideology that takes left-wing universalist values and uses them to repress ordinary people to achieve, in my view, totalitarian outcomes that solely benefit the European and global elites.

The BBC dislikes Corbyn because he isn't a globalist (he's anti-EU). It's the same reason why they don't like Farage, but they will never say that. They will say it is because he is "xenophobic", but they can't get away with that for Corbyn. Their failure to come up with a suitable label for him in this regard is quite obvious when you watch, read or hear their coverage; you can almost sense how annoyed they are that they have not been able to nail him with a suitably negative identity.

In the same vein, this is why they loved Blair, love Merkel, like Cameron, and adore Boris Johnson and Hilary Benn -- because they are all globalists to a greater or lesser extent.

A speaker I really respect here in Paris said something very true that needs repeating here: "globalization is not a choice".

Tory party activist Nick Robinson
Where's the evidence for this?? Not just biased but an actual activist. Have you got a picture of him with his Blue rosette on his lapel, or has he been ever so conveniently undercover throughout his activist career...?

I can't stand her. She uses 60 words when 12 would do, she talks over the person she is meant to be interviewing and doesn't let them answer. She's under the illusion she's something special. She isn't.

^ this

I thought it was only me - she does reduce everything to the most simplistic of ideas - kind of jackanory news - endlessly repeating the same 2 or 3 simplistic ideas dressed up as " news" and even worse "analysis". Her facial mannerisms (sorry but eyes popping out self importantly as she tells us what we need to know ) make the whole thing worse.

And yes she is noticeably scathing / gleeful about Corbyn.

One of my favourite TV journalists is Jon Snow. Human / questioning / interested in everything / thoughtful and not patronising towards the viewer or self important.

John Pienaar is good.

A speaker I really respect here in Paris

I am quite seriously agog to know what kind of creature that would be bobo.

Maggie Thatcher hated the BBC.
True, but that was for different reasons. She was opposed to anyone she disagreed with having a voice, a protest or even a vote. She was no lover of democracy.

Hillfarmer No, Nick Robinson, Tory Party ACTIVIST was not undercover. His political activities are well documented and in the public domain. From Macclesfield Young Conservatives founder to President of the Conservative Assoc at Oxford to being frequently called out for failing to hide his right wing allegiances while working for 'the public' at the BBC.

I think sneering cynicism about politicians has become the lazy norm. What I loved about Andrew Marr as BBC political chief wotsit was that his default report ended up "and this is fascinating and important because blah blah" whereas virtually everyone else ends up with some version of "these people are in the shit because blah blah" or "this may well be perceived as a failure because blah blah". It's lazy, boring and stupid. If politics fills you with such despair go report on engineering or whatever you think is more worthwhile.

It's s shame Norman Smith didn't get the top job instead of sneery Laura. He manages to appear unbiased.

She doesn't have as sour a face as Andrew Neil! It is not her face that is the problem, although she does communicate a lot with her expressions.

I was watching her on the Daily or Sunday Politics last week. There was a Conservative guy, some Labour woman (who was busy being smiley and innocuous) and LK. They spent most of the programme talking about JC. LK exclusively. Speculative, gossipy and dribbling with disdain. She was saying 'sources' said something. Labour woman said she hadn't heard such a thing. Conservative guy was grinning as it was so, so easy on him. He was asked one question by Andrew Neil about a colleagues speech and he just batted it off by saying he hadn't heard the full speech. So, So easy.

At a time when the Conservative are as split about Europe. Lots of 'Bastards' as John Major would say. Why didn't they take one moment to talk about the disagreements in that corner? If one Labour person prefers Coffee instead of Tea, it is talked to death?

"Kuennsberg certainly should not be working for the state broadcaster. She is a disgrace to broadcast journalism and that in itself is saying something. "

^ This.

I used to believe in the impartiality of the BBC, but its news coverage has degraded terribly in the last few years and it's almost unbearable to watch now: following the govt narrative and a use of language and dumbing-down of argument which lets all politicians off the hook; then also the misreading of information, misdirection of scripts, an increasing Establishment/Right-wing bias expressed through the Today programme and the BBC news (both of which I've watched or listened to all my life - several decades).

The engineered timing of the Doughty resignation - as revealed in the online blog they have now pulled - is disgraceful. And only last night every single newscaster's reference (and LK's) was to "the government want a 7-Day-A-Week NHS" as if one doesn't exist now. They stated they would hear from someone speaking on behalf of the striking j.doctors but they didn't - it was more pro-government information, presenting how unreasonable the doctors were.

Last night The One Show FB page asked for the public's opinions on the strike. Virtually all the hundreds of comments were pro-strike and pro-doctors and against the government's position. This is not what was presented on the programme itself - mostly vox pops from people who weren't convinced by the strike.

Oh sorry OP, I thought you meant he was an activist in his career as a BBC journalist. What a relief. He would definitely get sacked if that happened. Good to know it was just his youthful student days - you're right it would be awful if he was active in the conservative party now!

p.s. being 'frequently called out' doesn't count as activism btw.

I said 'called out for failing to hide his right wing allegiances'. I know what 'activism' means.

...being 'called out' is no proof of anything though is it?

What do you think he's trying to do? Is he part of some vast conspiracy Ghoulish? Get a grip Gertie.

What about the fact that John Humphreys is a UKIP sleeper. Has been for years. They are going to wake him up in time for a Brexit super-swipe. Him and Moira Stuart. They're in it together!

'Get a grip'? Seriously? You know what - Bye!

Bumping in light of her embarrassing Twitter antics today.

You mean not seeing an incident but reporting via Twitter something that Conservative sources have told her but turned out to be fake news?

That's why traditionally I believe fact-checking occurs before publication...

Not doubling down calling it a grim incident when no incident had occurred.

I wonder how much cognitive bias there was in her reporting?