Is the government gagging the BBC?

[lonelyplanet]

During August there were daily stories on the BBC news about the safe reopening of schools. Inaccurate photos of socially distanced desks and classes with only 15 children in them were being widely used.

The schools have now returned and there is silence. There is no information on what is happening and no updates. Why is this?

Last night I watched the BBC Panorama Test and Trace Exposed. Panorama is known for uncovering scandals. The programme interspersed snippets of Boris' speeches with his promises that have fallen flat. However there was no mention of the promise that Test and Trace would be in place for the safe opening of schools. Or for that matter anything about how the Test and Trace has failed schools or been problematic because of schools.

Universities have started to go back this week and there is quite rightly loads of coverage about the problems and issues.

What I would like to know is why is the mainstream media not covering the return to schools? Why can't I find out what is going on nationally? How are schools really affected? Are there lots of children and staff off sick? Are there no reporters out there willing to ask the questions that need asking?

[quote GreyishDays]@Foobydoo I would imagine it’s the ‘university’ part of ‘schools/universities’ then. Did you see the figures by age I added above?[/quote]
It’s mostly primary and secondaries.

I think what I'm saying is that I don't think there is a great conspiracy by the government to gag the BBC. We don't have all the data yet, but indicators are that transmissability and infection lower in children. That older children and adults in schools are more likely to catch/transmit covid. And this means the real 'story' will be the lack of decent blended learning and educational opportunities for children whose education is going to be continually distrusted- not that Covid is spreading in schools.

Although much vaunted as an impartial voice, the BBC is far too dependent on the Government for its revenue, for this to be the case. Imo. I think the BBC treads very carefully, and is most likely to present Government measures unchallenged, when they are framed as a national duty in a time of crisis.

MrsFrisby
"What this means in reality is that we will be closing schools/bubbles all the time because it only takes 1 infected person/child to close any bubble, (which may well be a societal side effect we are prepared to tolerate) but means that the relative overall transmission rate within those settings is actually very low. But means the risk of each bubble closing repeatedly over time is high"

You have linked to a study which says " Data were insufficient to conclude whether transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by children is lower than by adults."

The research is still not clear on this. We are in the middle of a large scale social experiment with schools at the centre. Some balanced reporting of what is happening nationally is in the public interest.

100% they are gagged as are the top newspapers.
Smaller local papers are reporting. But i think they probably usually get told stuff by main papers

Primary outbreaks are similar to secondary.
1 school had 40/1100 students infected and many of those asymptomatic. Only found as they checked the whole school.
Those charts are for clusters so 2+ so there are many more single cases.

It is clear from the letter home for cases that the gov are intending to allow kids to be infected 'it's a mild illness' load of rubbish. Heart etc damage even for asymptomatic..
And move any vulnerable out! Yeah like people can move out themselves as the child's parent. And risk infecting other people anyway.
If kids couldnt spread it you wouldnt need to move out vulnerable...

I’ve thought the same things about various things since March. It seems ridiculous it’s not being picked up on as it’s such a clear story. I suspect the govt are exerting some control on things and only with hindsight will we see what actually happened.

@lonelyplanet

MJMG2015 "lonelyplanet And this one too.

Week 27, that's JUNE"

It is June through to last week.

Sorry. I'm struggling a bit as I can only use MN on my phone at the moment, it won't work on my iPad. Eyes aren't what they were!

[quote Fetaliving]@MJMG2015

I saw you corrected on this yesterday. Why are you repeating this inaccuracy.[/quote]
Wind your neck in. I've apologised to the OP & I didn't see a post correcting me yesterday.

The gov said in march there were setting up something to control social media.

I really think something is going on, as there are so many schools near me that have whole year groups, infant schools and secondary schools closed and hardly anything is being said about it.

In every single workplace, people are asked to either work from home or keep safe with social distancing and PPE... except in education. In schools, teachers and children are crammed in to small classrooms and social distancing is totally not happening.

What happened to the traffic light system for schools? Remember the one where they move to wearing masks, then blended learning, then all secondary learn from home and finally primary schools learn from home. At what point will this be implemented?

The school closures map is a fraction of the schools affected - there are at least 8 others I know of that are not included on there.
https://www.boycottunsafeschools.co.uk/reported-covid-19-cases/school-cases-after-12-8-20/

Whole secondary school closed
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-birmingham-54261485

Infant school closed
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/walmley-infant-school-closed-staff-18975462.amp

I was so incensed by the lack of reporting on schools that I have emailed bbc complaints and also bbc breakfast and asked for better reporting on these issues.

Make a complaint:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint

Contact BBC Breakfast
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1MDKv5SX96xbSqszmqffpft/contact-us

Rainford High School also fully closed or 2 weeks due to 40 students across year groups testing positive.

A couple of weeks ago reporters were outside factories where there had been outbreaks. I don't understand why nothing is being mentioned on any national news.

I have a child in an exam year and we are on blended learning. The provision is very patchy. I cannot see how the class of 2021 can be exam ready. I have written to my MP and the Education Select Committee. As a parent I am really concerned.

@StealTeal yes, there will be lots of schools/bubbles within schools closed, because it only takes 1 postive case to take out a whole bubble for 2 weeks. What we dont know yet (and there are studies being done right now) - is how many people in those bubbles then become infected.

If no-one or minimal numbers becomes infected each time, the likehood of each bubble having to isolate for another 2 weeks hasn't decreased (Because you still have the same risk profile as before)

Number of schools with islolating bubbles isn't a good measure of the spread of covid - we have no real data on that yet. It is indicative of the harm/disruption that is being caused to children's education.

There is almost certainly wartime censorship in place.

The ultimate super injunction.

*Rainford High School also fully closed or 2 weeks due to 40 students across year groups testing positive.

A couple of weeks ago reporters were outside factories where there had been outbreaks. I don't understand why nothing is being mentioned on any national news.*

Exactly!

https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/18753228.principal-pens-letter-parents-four-students-staff-member-test-positive-coronavirus-rainford-high/

This news is definitely being suppressed for some reason.
Now you mention it a D notice would make sense.
This is not democratic, parents have the right to know about infection levels surely ?

StealTeal - The problem with this website is it is not clear whether these schools are still closed: www.boycottunsafeschools.co.uk/reported-covid-19-cases/school-cases-after-12-8-20/
I would like to see numbers reported in mainstream media like they are reporting currently on Universities. School children could be far more dangerous in the spread than students because they are returning each night to their families. Houses like mine span 3 different large schools and the number of daily contacts my family has is huge. The rule of 6 is totally meaningless. Why is no one in the mainstream media asking questions about this?

@MJMG2015 apologies for causing offence but it’s a bit harsh to tell someone to wind their neck in when you’re incorrectly correcting others and telling them they’re wrong. My correction was no worse. Tone not meant to be narky here. Best wishes.

@Fetaliving but cases is younger.

Your graph shows number of outbreaks, not cases, and so an outbreak of hundreds at a university is shown as a single outbreak.

Local newspapers online are the only ones reporting school closures here and they always include the letter from school announcing who self isolates so I reckon that they are tipped off by parents.

University outbreaks are being covered by the national media because of their scale. There are hundreds of confirmed cases in one student accommodation block in Manchester and similar in Glasgow. Schools have been hugely disrupted but I haven't heard of any school outbreaks on this kind of scale.

@GreyishDays Are the outbreaks at university treated as one or several? Or is track and trace so terrible they have no idea and just class it as one. Probably the latter. The situation in schools and universities are both terrible and we need better testing to get a grip on it.

There were 250 schools closed or with bubbles isolating last week. I don’t see how that wasn’t newsworthy.

I have "Breaking News on my Sky app that Uni students can go home for christmas" But absolutely nothing reported that thousands of school and college students are back at home with online learning and parents having to juggle work etc. Students trying to get ready for exams next year are being totally forgotten. Sorry for rant

StealTeal - The problem with this website is it is not clear whether these schools are still closed: www.boycottunsafeschools.co.uk/reported-covid-19-cases/school-cases-after-12-8-20/
I would like to see numbers reported in mainstream media like they are reporting currently on Universities. School children could be far more dangerous in the spread than students because they are returning each night to their families. Houses like mine span 3 different large schools and the number of daily contacts my family has is huge. The rule of 6 is totally meaningless. Why is no one in the mainstream media asking questions about this?

I completely agree and it is crazy that this isn't being reported on correctly.

There is only so many students at uni as cases because they had testing units.
As noone is testing school kids without symptoms every single one could have it right now and we wouldnt know.
The infection of young kids is clearly intentional ad why else would we be the only country where teachers cant wear masks. Also everywhere else at least secondary students.
So - masks work or why bother even in corridors. But somehow arent needed in classrooms where dat elbow to elbow.
Bubbles of 300...