BBC News Channel and its 50 minute party political broadcast for the Labour Party on 08.09.2014, and mainstream media bias during the Scottish Indyref

I heard last night that the BBC news channel gave Scottish Labour an uninterrupted 50-minute party political broadcast for no obvious reason.

I understand it mainly took place at Loanhead Miners’ Welfare, and featured speeches from a warm-up man, then Johann Lamont, and finally the star attraction Gordon Brown.

I also heard that the actual event justifying this extraordinary coverage lasted just 2 minutes 36s.

If they’re offering us something new that directly relates to the Scottish Independence Referendum — they’re breaking the “purdah” electoral law.

If they aren’t, then it’s all a big fat lie. My personal view it is the latter.

Unfortunately I missed this extravaganza from this unbiased public service broadcaster (Aye right?), but seeing it was Gordon Brown who was speaking for the aforementioned 2m 36s I have to know; did he mention pensions? Or how about gold sales? No more return to boom and bust?

Obviously I am so unhappy that he never got re-elected to the office of PM – to which as I recall he was never actually elected in the first place.

How could a Miners welfare afford the fees for him to attend anyway?

Honestly another 10 days of this bilge presented as news and debate!!


They have really over stepped the mark this time, especially the BBC. The Electoral Commission will be down on them like a ton of bricks and force an apology and give free airtime to YES. Any minute now, just wait, will be along soon, yes sir, just you wait, its coming, any second now… anybody?

Can you imagine the storm if they gave David Cameron 50 minutes unquestioned and uninterrupted to make a pitch for the 2015 election?

We really need to complain to electoral commission and the BBC. That way we can have the best of both worlds.THE BBC COMPLAINTS LINE IS 03701100222

I thought this an excellent opportunity to include the video about John Robertson Professor of Media and Politics whose study on the BBC's independence referendum coverage has been silenced by the BBC and ignored by the mainstream media in general, Ofcom and the Electoral Commission.

Scotland's mainstream media really needs to take a long hard look at itself after the Independence Referendum. Is it there to serve the Scottish people; or is it there to serve the rich London and Westminster powerful elite and let the latter get away with anything they like?

The BBC is definitely not the only culprit, but it is by far the worst given that it meant to supposedly be unbiased. You can after all decide not to buy the Herald, the Scotsman (also now known as 'The North Briton' in many circles) and nearly all of the other print media (with the great exception of The Sunday Herald). You can also decide to ignore SkyNews. However you can't ignore the BBC, since it is everywhere and supposedly everybody in the UK and in Scotland has to pay for it through their BBC Licence Fee.

The NUJ of which I am a member must be wringing its hands, and crying in disgust at how the reputation of journalism has been further diminished by this. Gone are the days of Woodward and Burnstein (Watergate and President Nixon) and the heady days of ITVs World in Action, First Tuesday and the like.

The mainstream media bosses and owners seem determined to make journalism a joke, and the BBC seem determined to completely undermine the very good case for a public funded broadcaster. The whole thing reeks of corruption, nepotism, etc. and the sooner we can be shot of the lot of them the better.

Vote Yes for all this utter garbage to end, and for a radical re-alignment of the media to begin.



For the alternative side to all the mainstream media rubbish you may also like to refer to the following websites...
www.wingsoverscotland.com
www.newsnetscotland.com
www.bellacaledonia.org.uk

Mainstream media bias in Scottish Independence Referendum Campaign

You may not have been aware of it as it was not mentioned on any UK based mainstream media that there was a demonstration on Sunday 1st June 2014 at the BBC headquarters in Glasgow against their biased coverage during the Scottish Independence Referendum campaign.

Again the demonstration was mentioned on the Russia Today (RT) news channel, meaning as per the occasion of the Scottish Independence Rally in Edinburgh in 2013, the Scots must rely on foreign news services to report their own local news.

There is something very wrong with the mainstream media in Scotland when it is actively working against the interests of the people who it is supposedly meant to serve. The very worst culprit in this matter is the BBC as the people it is consistently not serving are the people who are directly paying for it.

I personally believe that if the Scots were actually told the facts regarding Scotland's position within the UK there would be no doubt as to a YES vote in September as there is so much evidence from which to choose as to how Scotland would be better off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ICN_g1EvolQ

And there is the further matter of the continuous bar on comments on internet stories relating to the Scottish Independence Referendum. Why is it when it comes to Scottish politics people are not allowed to comment but when it relates to all of the UK, or any other part of the UK people are permitted to comment freely.

More than a year on and unsurprisingly the BBC still refuse to open up comments for their hapless and generally baseless unionist Scottish Independence Referendum  propaganda. This was even mentioned on their own BBC News Channel Newswatch programme some time ago but nothing has changed.

A once great and beloved institution continues to tarnish and destroy its own reputation. If we cannot trust them on this very important occasion one wonders if we can trust the BBC on anything every again.

 http://youtu.be/cmdRnb3Ic7M

http://t.co/uzaXQdNy9K Mainstream media bias continues #BBC #bbcbias #Scotland #indyref #YesMovement #freescotland #YesScotland #Yes2014
— Dean Brown (@scotcitizenblog) June 2, 2014

Petition to the BBC to report fairly in the Scottish Independence Referendum as so far the words that spring to mind are 'Fat chance!'

BBC:http://t.co/2g2ltzowH2 without bias in #indyref 2. Respond to "Fairness in the first Year?" UWS http://t.co/pX0I5MVbLE via @UKChange

— Dean Brown (@scotcitizenblog) March 25, 2014

Scottish Independence Rally TV Coverage - 21.09.2013

The BBC recently stated that they would find it hard to provide unbiased reporting on the debate in advance of the independence referendum on 18th September 2014. If their lack of live coverage, and reporting of the Scottish Independence Rally on Saturday is anything to go by, they definitely are.

The BBC said in their Scottish News Summary that 8000 attended. Everyone else said between 20000 and 30000 attended.

As I wasn't there I thought I would watch live coverage on the BBC News Channel. Nothing was mentioned not then or in later UK wide bulletins, the latter applying also to ITV News.

I also checked Sky News coverage. You've guessed it, nothing either!  It was only when I got to the RT news channel (yes the one based in Moscow, Russia) that there was live coverage from the event.

It is a sad day when no UK broadcaster is showing an event occurring in their own country involving between 20000 and 30000 of their own citizens. I am sure if this number, or even the equivalent proportion of the English population (i.e. about 200000 to 300000 people) marched through London it would have received blanket coverage.

The BBC and Sky News unbiased in the Scottish Independence Referendum? If so then I am Jemima Puddleduck. Shame on you BBC and Sky News.

The BBC comes in for particular criticism though since those 20000 - 30000 are required by law to pay their license fee, and therefore are entitled to receive unbiased coverage of this debate and this particular event.

I have previously talked about the bias on this subject of the mainstream media here... http://scotcitizen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-bbc-is-loosing-its-long-held.html

THE BBC IS LOOSING ITS LONG HELD REPUTATION FOR IMPARTIALITY

Misrepresentation

The media in Scotland in particular the BBC in Glasgow is regularly misrepresenting the Yes campaign who are fighting for Scottish independence. Broadcasters in particular the BBC are bound by a rule of impartiality and the BBC in Scotland is blatantly failing this regarding its coverage of the Scottish Independence Referendum debate.

Institutional arrogance and Political Manipulation

The BBC Management in Scotland are sailing perilously close to new levels of institutional arrogance and political manipulation and in creating the impression of operating beyond the control of the Trustees. In so doing the Trustees are failing in their duty in particular to maintain the highest editorial standards of impartiality, accuracy and fairness in the delivery of factual information on the developing issues in the referendum dialogue on Scottish Independence.

BBC Trustees failing in their duty

In what is meant to be a free and democratic society this should be stopped and action taken to rectify this situation before people vote NO based on incorrect, biased and incomplete information.

Further information can be found on…

Newsnet Scotland:  How the BBC manipulated the debate over oil

http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-opinion/7784-how-the-bbc-manipulated-the-debate-over-oil

Newsnet Scotland: Occupied and Occupier – The Media in Scotland

http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-opinion/7816-occupied-and-occupier-the-media-in-scotland

Yes Scotland misrepresentation

Many Scots are worried about the mainstream media’s handling of coverage of the Scottish Independence Referendum and ask that The Scottish Government approach the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and request that the subordinate Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) deploy immediately an election monitoring mission to cover the Referendum including the debate across radio, television and print media.

Bias by BBC Scotland

The SNP government and the Yes Scotland campaign have been subjected to continuous misrepresentation, by BBC Scotland and across all print MSM.

Eire and Luxembourg deliberately quoted out of context

Bias is clear, by omission & commission, to such an extent that the Foreign Ministers of Eire and Luxembourg have both been forced to clarify comments on Scottish Independence which were, it seems, deliberately reported out of context.

Free and Fair Decision based on impartial information

If you feel that yours and others decision regarding this referendum should be based on free and impartial information then you should sign this petition…

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-scottish-government-approach-the-osce-and-request-an-election-monitoring-mission