Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Is the government gagging the BBC?

167 replies

lonelyplanet · 29/09/2020 08:49

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
monkeytennis97 · 29/09/2020 23:35

@Fetaliving

The story is there it’s just being ignored.
Exactly what I think.
wondersun · 29/09/2020 23:47

@Fetaliving

Since summer I’ve been wondering if a suppression order like a “D notice“ has been placed on the media over schools. If so they could get round it by publishing facts like schools that have closed etc but wouldn’t be able to say much more.

I’m still not 100% sure but the coverage is weird to me.

I agree. Very weird. What’s a d notice please?
MJMG2015 · 30/09/2020 00:13

[quote Fetaliving]@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.[/quote]
'Wind you neck in' is hardly that offensive. There was no need for your accusation. There are hundreds of threads, why assume I was ignoring the correction, rather than just assume I hadn't seen it? You could have just pointed out that I was incorrect.

When the OP pointed out my mistake, I apologised - all good.

Your accusation was worse than me telling you to wind your neck in. IMO

But we are detailing the thread now, best to let it drop.

MJMG2015 · 30/09/2020 00:15

Listening to GW today, it seems he's determined to keep schools & universities open, no matter what. Total denial of the actual situation.

It's a disgrace.

monkeytennis97 · 30/09/2020 00:21

@MJMG2015

Listening to GW today, it seems he's determined to keep schools & universities open, no matter what. Total denial of the actual situation.

It's a disgrace.

Yes exactly this. Surely to God they need to do something to try to stop transmission and outbreaks at schools. Have emailed bbc tonight.
jcyclops · 30/09/2020 00:26

What’s a D notice please?
In the United Kingdom, a DSMA-Notice (Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice) is an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security. DSMA-Notices were formerly called a DA-Notice (Defence Advisory Notice), and before that called a Defence Notice (D-Notice)

jcyclops · 30/09/2020 00:31

@lonelyplanet

Still no mention of the situation in Primary schools though.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54341418

The same BBC report telling you "16% of secondaries were affected with partial closures" went on to say "5% of primary schools reported sending pupils home"

jcyclops · 30/09/2020 00:38

There are 23,000 schools in England.

Is the government gagging the BBC?
Lumene · 30/09/2020 01:38

No what a bizarre question. How would the government gag the BBC?

ParlezVousWronglais · 30/09/2020 01:54

Children are being sent home to isolate in their hundreds every day. It’s become boring as a news item.

Whereas with uni they can do the whole under house arrest/ lost their freedom/ what are they paying for/ muh hooman rights thing.

RepeatSwan · 30/09/2020 05:43

@Lumene

No what a bizarre question. How would the government gag the BBC?
They speak to senior people and tell/ask them to deprioritise certain news stories, and to prioritise others.
Lumene · 30/09/2020 08:00

They speak to senior people and tell/ask them to deprioritise certain news stories, and to prioritise others.

If they did this the BBC would quite rightly laugh in their face.

JanetheObscure · 30/09/2020 08:16

There is no way on earth that a D-notice has been issued to the BBC or any other media about the reporting of Covid cases in schools.

It would be absolutely impossible to keep school bubble closures secret, because all affected pupils/students and their parents - plus endless other people locally - know about them. Local newspapers are definitely reporting closures.

I do agree that mainstream media isn't focusing on schools at the moment, but that's because currently available case and closure numbers aren't cumulatively large enough. If numbers continue to go up, then you can be sure that the reporting will happen.

Keepdistance · 30/09/2020 10:20

Im disgusted by what gav said there in that bbc article.
Yes it is going swimmingly ffs!
Primaries actually seem just as affected. Although if it is mainlt teachers/adults? In those then i guess that might not result in repeated class closures.
How can they say 2w off is nothing. It's about half of the time so far and 2/35 of the whole year already or 50% attendance.

noblegiraffe · 30/09/2020 11:03

13,000 kids and 700 teachers in Birmingham currently isolating.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/13000-children-700-staff-quarantine-19020412

Not big enough numbers to warrant any interest??

RepeatSwan · 30/09/2020 11:13

@Lumene

They speak to senior people and tell/ask them to deprioritise certain news stories, and to prioritise others.

If they did this the BBC would quite rightly laugh in their face.

I think the top line stories on harder hitting news progs, on BBC, are so different to fluffy BBC news channel.

There's plenty of media management going on.

HelloMissus · 30/09/2020 11:15

Majority of children in school and enjoying it - not a news story.

Rushjob · 30/09/2020 11:17

@Lumene

They speak to senior people and tell/ask them to deprioritise certain news stories, and to prioritise others.

If they did this the BBC would quite rightly laugh in their face.

They may not laugh in their face given the interest at the moment in how the BBC is funded
RepeatSwan · 30/09/2020 11:22

@HelloMissus

Majority of children in school and enjoying it - not a news story.
From what both my children and staff friends tell me, there's a significant number not enjoying it.

A lot of the good stuff in schools is simply missing, replaced by hand washing and stress.

JanetheObscure · 30/09/2020 11:48

Noble. Sorry l, didn’t mean to downplay what is happening. But from a national news point of view, numbers are not yet overwhelming, or anywhere near that - certainly not numbers of confirmed cases in school. That will explain the national media not covering things yet, with the emphasis on yet. Not government pressure because - as the Birmingham report shows - the story is out there.

Lumene · 30/09/2020 11:58

They may not laugh in their face given the interest at the moment in how the BBC is funded

The government can’t just meet with journalists from our national broadcaster, tell them to keep something quiet, and expect them to actually do that, regardless of funding issues. The BBC is a huge organisation with lots of different outlets and journalists, it just wouldn’t happen.

Rushjob · 30/09/2020 12:38

The government won’t meet with journalist. It’ll order the new Director General (the one they’ve put in place to sort this mess that is the over funded and inefficient BBC out) to tell them to do as they are told

Thiscantreallybehappening · 30/09/2020 13:04

@HelloMissus:

We are in an area with very low numbers, no local restrictions and not on any watch list at all in the last week a number of schools in this area have outbreaks, mix of primary, secondary and sixth form. These are positive cases not suspected cases. My DC has just been told that he is blended learning for the foreseeable future. The children around here are not enjoying school at all as there is now a number of year groups self isolating and back to online learning. If this is happening in a very low risk area there is something more going on. There is a story here.

MarshaBradyo · 30/09/2020 13:09

We have been lucky so far with cases but dc all happy afaik. Dc barely register having to use hand gel

This are you state in England? I thought it had to be ft in school. How is it organised?