BBC fake news causing panic and chaos

[Billie18]

The way the BBC have reported the impact of coronavirus is so misleading and bias it amounts to fake news.

The latest example was the way the BBC fueled peoples anxiety about how the new strain of coronavirus was affecting children. Instead of reporting the most up to date information from a national perspective or even gathering a broad set of opinions they chose to interview one person. A hospital matrons talked of how "scary" the new strain was for nurses and doctors and everyone working on the front line with "whole wards" full of children with coronavirus. She compared it to the situation in March when children were only minimally affected. This one scary opinion was broadcast unchallenged and her role as a Matron gave her opinion "expert" status despite her expertise being limited. This from a trusted and national broadcaster so hardly surprising that this would lead people to believe that their children were now in serious danger.

twitter.com/bbc5live/status/1345006866829463552

In this case this news prompted a response from the President of the Royal College of Child health to point out that "As of now" there was not significant pressure from Covid-19 on paediatrics, no evidence that children were experiencing more severe symptoms and that the overwhelming majority of young people who catch coronavirus have no symptoms or mild symptoms.

twitter.com/bbc5live/status/1345006866829463552

The BBC did later put an article on their website giving voice to those with more expertise and knowledge but this whole weight of knowledge was still balance by this one Matrons opinion with her view given prominence in the article.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55518248

The original fake reports of hospital wards were the ones chosen by the BBC to be broadcast and were seen by the greatest number of people. Even when experts who could give a more truthful picture came forward this was not given prominence and false information continued to be circulated. This at a time when there was pressure to close schools indefinitely in the UK. The BBC fueling fears about children being at risk of serious injuries or death has lead people to believe that schools should be shut to protect children. However children are safe in school the only justification for shutting schools is to protect the elderly and/or vulnerable.

Would there be a push to shut schools indefinitely without the media pushing false information about the risk to children? Has the BBC caused panic that may lead to children being denied education based on false evidence? Would parents sacrifice their children by isolating them rather than push to allow their children to attend school and protect the vulnerable if trusted media outlets reported what we know honestly?

I agree that the BBC have become less trustworthy through their attempt to be more balanced. It's back to treated Farage equally to the Conservatives when his party are a definite minority.
Their reporting of school returns have been shamefully political with their pics of socially distant classrooms in autumn. They really have become a government mouthpiece via Laura K and have sold themselves out so they get leaks through her.

@Longtalljosie

Oh bollocks. It’s a fast-moving situation. If matrons are seeing wards full of children we need to know about it now, not once the statistics are analysed in three weeks time. If you think finding the message frightening means it’s false, you’re part of the problem.

I was shocked to hear the matron say that too and quite frankly I shouldn't have to research online if this is true or not. I resent paying for a service who broadcast that is peddling "news" that others insist is untrue. According to people working in hospitals there are children in hospital for various reasons and Covid is rife in hospitals but children aren't getting ill more frequently in this wave compared to the first one.

www.doubledown.news/watch/2020/21/december/for-the-health-of-the-british-public-boris-johnson-must-go-covid-19-christmas-professor-john-ashton

It's not just the BBC.

It's non stop rolling news. And yes 5 live is part of that problem. I can't stand listening to it.

They take their lead from Twitter and feature people who use Twitter and are part of that particular bubble.

Are you panicking OP? Are you in chaos?

Or are you telling us that you of course, are too clever for that because you are special and can see what is Really Happening, unlike all us Sheeples.

Why don't you tell us what is happening to you rather than 'other' people who you know nothing about and who you have never met.

The Guardian is doing it too now: www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/03/it-makes-me-want-to-cry-voices-of-hospital-staff-on-the-covid-frontline

BTW @MNHQ - how are you getting on with creating that Conspiracy Theorists corner?

Really strange bunch of threads at the moment about fake news from hospitals. I think the BBC and Guardian are pretty good at spotting the dross.

Russian troll farms and their useful idiots are in full flow this morning.

It is a simple question of empirical evidence - one persons experience does not constitute clinical evidence on the impact of children. These ambiguous and needlessly alarmist reports were extensively debunked yesterday by a much larger group of clinicians. Are all of those people also trolls???

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-55518248

So why have the Guardian repeated this alarmist rubbish again today?

Clearly there are a lot of people who want this drama to be true for their own reasons. The simple facts: Covid is not more dangerous to children and the media whipping up panic is irresponsible. I would expect the Guardian to dramatise but this is ridiculous.

Well we can all have our suspicions regarding posters.

@Aab1234

It is a simple question of empirical evidence - one persons experience does not constitute clinical evidence on the impact of children. These ambiguous and needlessly alarmist reports were extensively debunked yesterday by a much larger group of clinicians. Are all of those people also trolls???

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-55518248

So why have the Guardian repeated this alarmist rubbish again today?

It's disturbing at times like this more than ever we need a media we can trust. Reporting of what is effectively fake news is deliberately fueling anxiety and distress to parents and will be impacting on the push to close schools.

@vera99

Russian troll farms and their useful idiots are in full flow this morning.

Are you talking about the BBC and The Guardian?!

I do think the BBC is a whingefest - they air sad stories of people with sad life stories constantly - am I supposed to reach for my wallet? Write to my MP? Change who I vote for.
What do they want - they do succeed in being a depressing listen. I prefer audiobooks now.

Oh yes @ EngineeringFix anyone who doesn’t agree with paranoia is a troll? Is that it. Well I can assure you I am just an educated adult who wants to make sure that decisions are being taken on the basis of scientific evidence, not panic and paranoia created in a union echo chamber.

BUT - it stands to reason that if you have a 900/100,000 rate of infection and higher, then out of that rise in infections there will be children affected.

Children are at very low risk but they aren't immune. That means more will end up in hospital just like the rest of the population.

So yes, children's wards are seeing the same kind of massive increases in admissions as every other sector of the population.

I don't understand why that's so hard accept?

Give me one shred of evidence from a reputable empirical source and I am happy to consider it.

Yes but the reports suggest children are now proportionally more like to be admitted to ICU for Covid which is simply false. The media has a responsibility to report this fact accurately.

I was shocked to hear the matron say that too and quite frankly I shouldn't have to research online if this is true or not. I resent paying for a service who broadcast that is peddling "news" that others insist is untrue.

No - you shouldn’t be seeing if one person’s eyewitness account matches your “online research”. You should be accepting it as an eyewitness account. A lot of NHS leadership are trying to manage public response so making your judgements should be an assessment of multiple sources, not playing them off against each other until you find something that fits in with your world view. The loss of taste and smell and the lack of high fever for Covid was evident on Twitter long before being accepted by the WHO. While you are living history things are muddy and things change on the fly.

Accusing the BBC of fake news is damaging and stupid. And plays right into the hands of people with lower standards or - worse - an active desire to ensure you trust no-one.

To be fair to the Matron @Aab1234, she didn't mention children being admitted to ICU did she ?
Which reports said there have been an increase in paediatric ICU admissions for covid ?

I have long since stopped relying on the BBC for rational and balanced reporting on the pandemic.

Well yes, when I can see my DD is crammed into a classroom with about 30 others, shoulder to shoulder without more than 5cm between them let alone 1m. No masks. Then the BBC shows a classroom with 5 kids in at separate desks 2m apart and face masks. I know it's a lie. And it makes me question anything else they may tell me.

I find it odd that they're not reporting on the fact the government have given no funding to schools to make them safer, while reporting on unsubstantiated 'greater risk' to children. The former is backed up with loads of evidence and is frankly just as worrying as the latter (which we just simply don't have the evidence to support at this time).

It does suggest they can't be bothered with facts and evidence or proper reporting and are just going for click bait journalism.

What has the OP said that points to "conspiracy theory"? Is this the new term (maybe to replace the word selfish?) that is going to be trotted out all the time?

No - you shouldn’t be seeing if one person’s eyewitness account matches your “online research”. You should be accepting it as an eyewitness account.

I suspect I'm not the only one who heard the matron's account and looked online to see if it's just one hospital or something that's happening nationally.
I could find lots of people saying that there are children in hospital and children catch Covid but nobody is corroborating her account. Considering that she's named herself and given her job title so her hospital is known it's astonishing that other important and respected medical bodies and paediatrician are denying what she is saying.

Of course it is possible that she's a whistleblower who is telling the truth but it isn't wrong for people to look online for others who are corroborating what she's said which is scary.