Ian Botham Telegraph column - Country people are sick of the woke BBC

[EyesOpening]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/11/country-people-sick-woke-bbc/?
Botham writes: Since I joined the House of Lords, a lot of people have been writing to me about the BBC. They say that it is turning against them – that it doesn’t see them, let alone listen to them. But is my inbox representative?

According to a new YouGov poll, the answer is clearly yes. It found that only 4 per cent of the public thought that the BBC had improved at representing their values during 2020.

They dislike how the corporation increasingly uses its programmes to promote the narrow “woke” views of its senior staff. They say it abuses its power to push these “urban progressive” ideas as if they were mainstream.

They are anything but.

But Ofcom is wokey pokey too, so not much chance of any balance yet. Sorry Sir Ian

The BBC has decided that it should be in front of the curve on all things cultural and lead public opinion - doesn't quite sit with the idea of being a public service broadcaster somehow

Beefy.

This article in Times fits here, quite an unanimous response from the commentors:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/860abd38-545b-11eb-8852-f1ee277e4313?shareToken=203bda95a1b1d0c8ab5d85e64210dfac

Unfortunately for the BBC a major cull of more experienced and sensible staff is not going to help reverse the direction of travel (nor is Stonewall's capture of Ofcom as PP pointed out). There are still good journalists doing their best to highlight the issues, see Newsnight on the Tavistock, but the only thing that might set the whole institution back on a more reasonable track is the threat to the license fee. Tim Davie does appear to realise this, but losing lots of senior staff who are likely to question the woke agenda isn't going to help.

Agreed! I never watch BBC anymore and would prefer the TV license is optional.

Offensive things works two ways but with them and some social media only one has side been heard at the moment.They have activists not journalists. The whole woke thing is starting to backlash.

I never watch the BBC anymore, I can't stand the smugness - it is no longer relevant to my life and does not offer anything I want to watch.

I wish they would just scrap the licence fee, and offer subscriptions or they can raise money with advertising. I would rather we spent the license fee on the NHS.

The BBC shouldn’t represent anyone’s values, not the “woke”, not country people, not anyone. It should report facts, impartially, and with evidence and research, you know, like journalism is supposed to be FFS .

The belief that news media - and social media included in that - is where we look to see ourselves represented, rather than where we look to find out the facts of events is quite possibly the single biggest thing undermining our society today. And it’s not a “right wing media” thing either. The Guardian and other left wing news organisations are just as guilty, they’re just too sanctimonious to admit it.

The BBC issue is just the same as everyone else’s, they’ve forgotten the purpose of journalism. And Botham’s constituents are just as bad as the Woke, in believing they’re meant to be told things they already agree with or the agency is they’re viewing or reading is a dud.

Countryfile is a bloody joke.

If the BBC accidentally comes on in this house, it's switched over with an 'ugh' and eye roll. Can't bear it. I won't pay for it either.

It's not just news though. I think the BBC is trying to second guess what we might like. I love a good old fashioned bodice ripper. Great has captured my attention on Channel 4 and also All Creatures on channel 5. Just ordinary fun and a break from all the cultural crap (in the name of artistic endeavour). I don't want a load of stuff that looks and sounds like me, I want to be entertained.

As far as news goes, factual without the rising inflections to prompt a specific answer. Maybe BBC needs a bit of a blast at focus groups

I knew the BBC was in trouble when my elderly parents decided it is no longer for them.

Ben Hunte is a good example.

Fine to cover LGBTQ++ issues, and by extension the culture wars. But where is the balance. Reading his stuff anyone would think he saw his remit as promoting LGBTQ etc, without acknowledging there can be conflicts when rights collide. Biased poor journalism.

Botham has an obsession with Chris Packham as does the countryside Alliance, they claimed he breached corporation guidelines on bias but he wss cleared by the BBC trust

www.theguardian.com/media/2016/sep/23/chris-packham-bbc-trust-countryside-alliance-springwatch

Botham is pushing a view that everyone in the countryside is pro hunting and shooting, not really sure that is true.

[quote Igneococcus]This article in Times fits here, quite an unanimous response from the commentors:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/860abd38-545b-11eb-8852-f1ee277e4313?shareToken=203bda95a1b1d0c8ab5d85e64210dfac[/quote]
Surely that would narrow the field for gay actors though. There are far, far more straight roles which gay people would become excluded from.

@zanahoria

Botham has an obsession with Chris Packham as does the countryside Alliance, they claimed he breached corporation guidelines on bias but he wss cleared by the BBC trust

www.theguardian.com/media/2016/sep/23/chris-packham-bbc-trust-countryside-alliance-springwatch

Botham is pushing a view that everyone in the countryside is pro hunting and shooting, not really sure that is true.

I live in the country & certainly not true here. My village has a fair number of the mustard cord, check shirt brigade but they are in the minority.

Countryfile does my head in at times with the number of ppl featured who clearly took early retirement from a very well paid job on a huge pension to roast coffee beans or whatever but segments on rural homelessness, managing dementia in rural communities and growing up gay in farming communities have been very good & show important topics not much talked about

It's not just their journalism that is the problem, is it? Wokeness permeates their dramas and documentaries on unrelated subjects.

Watching the BBC is like sitting next to the most annoying preachy bore at dinner who speaks to you like you are a naughty five year old. Everything has to have a woke moral to it.

And what with all the covid news I don’t see anything raising the issue of how women are being disproportionately affected. The first thought I saw with the two female friends meeting for a socially distanced walk was this is how women have to think due to male violence. If the government bring in not being able to excerise outdoors with a friend how much more will this affect women who don’t feel safe exercising alone. Or domestic violence victims who might use such as trip as a lifeline to get help . Likewise whether you can drive to a park .. many women may want to do this because they don’t want to walk at a place nearer home: my local park had a woman murdered by a teenage psychopath a few years ago and once away from the overcrowded part by the car park ( too crowded for comfort) it’s desolate . Women have to think like this .. men don’t and these are the issues that should be brought in the news and highlighted by the BBC . Instead if you look at the news sprite featured by the BBC it is often tacky celebs promoting their own shows or their attempt to get the yoof market ...

Are you taking about The BBC (vast output - bitesize, six music, radio 2, all of the world seen vice in English and language services,call the midwife, death in paradise, only connect etc etc) or BBC News?

World service!

newsopener.com/uk/did-chris-packhams-claims-about-tiger-cruelty-con-people-out-of-thousands/

[quote Igneococcus]This article in Times fits here, quite an unanimous response from the commentors:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/860abd38-545b-11eb-8852-f1ee277e4313?shareToken=203bda95a1b1d0c8ab5d85e64210dfac[/quote]

I think this article deserves its own thread actually.

But I agree with Cate Blanchett:

However, Cate Blanchett, who played a lesbian in the 2015 film Carol, has defended the right of straight actors to bring gay characters to life. “I will fight to the death for the right to suspend disbelief and play roles beyond my experience,” she said.