The BBC has become a mouthpiece for Reform and will help win them the next election

[Hazlenuts2016]

Watching Laura K this morning shamelessly talking over everything Yvette Cooper was saying and then interview Robert Jenrick as if he were a key member of the (proper) shadow cabinet and barely challenge him at all. Why was he even given airtime this morning? I think she and Chris Mason, particularly, are on the wrong side of history and will regret it when Farage gets in, abolishes the BBC and they have to beg for jobs at GB News. The excessive amount of time the BBC gives to Reform and their endless criticism of Labour is so blatant.

Indeed - if I was Labour I would be immediately be getting rid of the politicisation of the top management jobs at the BBC. Brought in by the Tory’s of course. Laura K has always been the same, given the Tory politicians and Reform a very easy ride - I suspect with all the TV politico journalists they invite them to more, particularly natural schmoozers like Johnson was, involve them, give them more to work with, schmooze them and big them up , Labour rarely like this, Alastair Campbell was good at this , however most who are left leaning are not

Yes, how are political appts allowed on a platform that's supposed to be neutral?

Totally agree. Laura K and Chris M are a disgrace.

Have replicated this in aibu for more traffic
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5500693-to-think-the-bbc-has-become-a-mouthpiece-for-reform-and-will-help-win-them-the-next-election?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

It depends on which side your bread is buttered. I can no longer listen to the Today programme for example due to it's left wing bias. And the BBC is mostly staffed by left leaning people.

Parties are given time on the BBC largely in proportion to what the polls are saying about how many people are likely to vote for them.

Reform was topping that polling. You can expect the Greens to get a lot more air time if their star continues to rise.

The party actually in power and in a position to change anything are always going to get a harder grilling than the opposition.

I am not Reform supporter and I think Farage would make a terrible PM, but I don't see your criticism as valid, sorry.

@Imdunfereven if you believe the amount of coverage is justified, you must surely see that the interview style and level of analysis is completely different with Reform? Softly softly with Farage and Jenrick. Rip her to shreds with Cooper.

I've already explained that. Cooper is in the current government and in a position to actually change things right now. The others aren't, they can't get be held accountable for any government policy. Serving Cabinet politicians are bound to get given a harder time.

@Imdunferbut Jenrick can be held accountable for decisions he made while in govt. And he was barely scrutinised at all.

He not in government now and the past isn't what I want a current affairs program to focus on.

What you're seeing is absolutely normal and it will be a different party getting the grilling when a different party is in power. And a different party getting air time when a diffeent party is topping the middle term polls.

I don't find the Today program particularly biased, some days it is, some times it isn't and i do get that Govt ministers should be challenged but LK in particular is very poor at her job, didn't she give Boris Johnson the questions she was going to ask him in advance?

Interview cancelled but only when it came to light what had happened....

@Imdunfer I do not agree it is the BBC's job to give scrutiny based on 'polling, thats utterly ridiculous.
Should the Tories have received less scrutiny because they were behind in the 'polls 2 years ago?

Scrutiny should be applied to ALL MPs equally whenever on air.

I've listened to BBC Newcast for 3 or 4 years where Chris mason Laura k and Adam Fleming are key contributors and I've recently lost all respect for it as can see their platforming of reform and lack of balanced reporting

They get more time than some other opposition parties, not more scrutiny, and of course it's right that parties that people are more interested in voting for get more time, otherwise we'd see equal time given to the Monster Raving Loony Party, Restore Britain and Your Party.

I don't see how anyone thinks that a party which has currently got no power to do anything and isn't currently doing anything can possibly be grilled as hard as a party actually currently making the rules.

@thecatsgotyourtongue @Imdunfer is correct. Guests are invited according to polling. The current government will always be questioned more deeply because they have the power right now. No one else does. This is why most parties not in power never say what their policies will be until much nearer a GE. The people actually making the decisions are rightly questioned. Nearer the election it will even up. I’m sure Yvette Cooper can handle it! She’s been around long enough!

Fair to question what the Governing should do etc, they, as you say, have the power BUT the opposition are criticising and should be quizzed on their ideas too.
Otherwise we have years of one sided argument, followed by a few weeks of more equally interviews.

They are quizzed.

The complaint was about how hard they are quizzed, and that can be perfectly well explained by the fact that they are not in power, not the fact that the BBC likes Reform.

I was moved to complain to the BBC for the first time in my over 50 year life this morning, after witnessing Laura Kuenssberg’s chummy chat with Jenrick. I am an enormous supporter of the BBC but this is now beyond a joke. We never hear from the LibDems despite them having 10 times the MPs Reform do. At this point in a party’s term we shouldn’t be giving airtime to parties according to general election voting intentions as it’s three years before that will become a factor. Instead we should be hearing in proportion from government and opposition parties with sitting MPs who are actually involved in making legislation - ie making decisions which actually affect us, rather than promoting unwritten manifestos by fringe parties with a handful of reps in the House of Commons. It’s madness to see the disparity in the way that Reform are treated as opposed to all other parties - their lies are never challenged outright at the point of broadcast, only afterwards, through BBC Verify, which is about as effective as the sort of ridiculous apology print news used to make, where a splashy headline was disproven but seen by millions, and a tiny 3-line apology and retraction was shoved away on page 23 days or weeks later.

Are they? Reform etc say what they like and are not challenged or quizzed in the slightest.

I don't know why those on the right don't like their politicians to be challenged by the BBC, Trevor Phillips manages it on Sky.

Completely agree, since the Times Editor took over BBC news it's been...The Times really.

Those on they're right think the BBC is left wing biased, those on the left think it's right wing biased. They've probably got it about right while that remains the case 😆

the easiest way to undermine a movement is to let it speak freely. Only when people actually listen do they see how problematic it is.

Ironically, refusing to platform them can give them even more appeal.

@Imdunfer problem is, Jenrick is criticising the govt for problems he directly helped create, with no challenge from the BBC.

But Reform should be challenged in the same way Labour was by the BBC when they were in opposition. Which isnt happening. And other parties with more MPs should be given air time as well. Reform is documented as being given far too much.

Oh I agree with you.

I should have been clearer that I was referring to a post by a different person suggesting that Reform shouldn’t be platform.

You should maybe watch Camilla Tominey on GBNews. She rips them to shreds for their previous party's actions and she's no kinder to Reform either, though she generally only has the parties with serious numbers of MPs on her grill program. Philp was squirming about Tory defence spending today. But oh my goodness I'll bet Hamish Falconer plays a mean game of poker, I've never seen anyone handle Camilla so proficiently!