Kay Birley from Sky News, should she go also?

[kittya]

I wouldnt normally watch Sky News but whilst I was on here talking about Nick Clegg I could here this bullying woman interview a guy that was leading the demo on Saturday. I thought she was well out of order and then, I was looking at the Guardian online and apparently there is a call for her on facebook and twitter to resign or be sacked. Did anyone else catch it and what do you think to her in general?

Longfingernails, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that.
I don't think the BBC try to hide the fact that their reporters have their own political views. If that was the case they would never have given NR the job of chief political corresp given his clear political past.

I don't mind them having their own views (would think it weird if they didn't) I just don't want those views alluded to during a political interview.

brogan2

Many people (mainly, but not exclusively on the right) suspect that Nick Robinson is actually leftist.

He was always known as a "wet" when he was in the Young Conservatives - and anyway, all that was years ago when he was a student. I myself had a student dalliance with Labour - but thankfully, those days are well behind me!

Andrew Marr acknowledges that the BBC has an institutional leftist-liberal bias - not consciously - they do try hard to be impartial - but just because they cannot understand the mindset of people who don't like big state institutions, the EU, centralized monopolies, etc.

There is plenty of evidence: for example, amongst the tens of thousands of people on the BBC Facebook group, a hugely greater proportion said their political views were "liberal" than Facebook more generally.

but there's a simple solution really. Just don't watch sky news - it's trashy tabloid news anyway.

Hmmm, With regards NR, I do think he comes across as keen on Brown in a way I never saw him do with Blair. When GB first became PM, NR interviewed him in a very sycophant way I felt.

I agree that liberal/centre left describes the BBC well. I don't agree that as an institution they have an agenda to place in power any one party in the way that Sky clearly does.

Maybe I just don't like KB!

Political leanings get people like journalists and historians in trouble. My best lecturer ever had no discernible politics (in fact, we speculated that he could be an anarchist, although no doubt they have their biases, too; I'm too young to have met many anarchists!), and it meant he was capable of examining the most unspeakable or unfashionable ideas (e.g. Stalin wasn't a monster) with proper intellectual rigour. It was absolutely fascinating. I would really like to see a lot more of that sort of thing in our public life. Yes, there is something to be said for trying to live a moral life and a moral politics, but let politicians do that, not those scrutinising them. Otherwise, there's nothing to stop the George W Bushes and Tony Blairs of this world, going to war on God's say-so.

Yes, she did say that after 9/11. Get your facts right, love. I havent watched sky news since Diana and it was purely because of what was happening that I switched it on. I wont be bothering again. Spiteful woman.

Blimey.
I was going to come and bollock you all for being too sensitive but that is staggering.
So rude and aggressive and arguing in a very personal way.

I would suspect she was pissed.

I agree with you, she was unhinged! I thought she was going to clip him over the ear!

Extraordinary - what a vitriolic thread. I didn't realise this site was a forum for making personal remarks in public about women who've achieved so much and done far more with their careers than most. Can you present live and report news on TV at all - let alone any better? Don't watch Sky - or write to the editor and make a formal complaint about the presenter if you're so bothered.

er, I don't watch sky, and had no idea who this woman is.

Am judging her fuckwithood solely on the video above.
On the strength of that - yes, I could do better. Unfortunately, having been heavily beaten by the ugly stick, no-one in their right minds would ever let me on the business end of a camera.

Making personal remarks in public about 'sleb' women = Daily Mail territory.
Questioning someone's competence at their job based on a video of them doing it - yup, I'm happy to judge.

Ah, 'objectivelyspeaking', new to MN are we? Just autogoogling maybe?

Heathen

Yup, I'm pretty sure I could do a better job than style used in the clip.

Lol @ the irony of "objectivelyspeaking".

THE style used in the clip

Didn't realise that being a newcomer excluded people from contributing their perspective. No idea what "autogoogling" is. Fair enough to complain about one video. Not fair enough to judge an entire career on the strength of one less than perfect live interview and a bit of hearsay. It smacks of cowardly cyber-bullying - a different type of the same hectoring that people say Kay Burley indulged in. (Incidentally, never met the woman, don't know her at all, not a fan particularly - but have worked in broadcast news all my life. This particular interview started OK and shouldn't have degenerated the way it did. But it didn't deserve that all-encompassing stream of spite!)

Expectations are higher for women, all women in all fields, which explains why they are judged so harshly. Especially harshly by women more than men going by the messageboards I read.

Not sure why.

I mean, Harriet Harman wasn't mentioned during the election, I presume because she is so 'hated' -- apparently she is much worse than any of her male colleagues. I could mention more but will get lambasted by those who can list the horrors the said woman in power has committed.

Sad

(actually mumsnet might not be so bad but the bbc boards are very sexist)

I just watched the clip, and I think it was awful, trying-to-be-Paxman style journalism. Reminds me of Michael Gove trying to be the big presenter and bully politicians when he presented that late night show on Channel 4(?), early in his career.

I have watched Sky News for a long time, my opinion is based on many years

I don't critisize her for being a woman, but for being a terrible interviewer

I only saw it live and wont be watching sky news again. I couldnt see any of the nice bbc reporters carrying on like that. And its not the first time for her. If thats her style then its not my cup of tea.

" women who've achieved so much and done far more with their careers than most"

That's great but successful women aren't sacred cows any more than successful men are. Should we ignore bad behaviour just because it comes from a woman?

I posted something yesterday about how much I hate her.

She flirts with good looking men she's interviewing, makes double entendres and then is hostile and aggressive to any good looking women.

I know people that work with her. She's not liked.

Mary Nightingdale is so much better, Im just watching her now. Very professional