BBC bias

Apparently "Disgraced former Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken, who was jailed for perjury, is to lead a study into prison reform for a Conservative policy group."

Strange how the BBC refer to Jonathan Aitken as a "disgraced former Cabinet minister" and never tire of reminding the public of Jeffrey Archer's misdemeanours; yet they seem less keen to remind us of why Peter Mandelson and David Blunkett had to leave the cabinet twice each. Can you remember either of their scandals being referred to when they are interviewed now? Scarcely an edition of Radio 4's "News Quiz" or Andy Hamilton's "Old Harry's Game" is broadcast without a derogatory reference to Jeffrey Archer, yet the hugely more deserving of criticism Peter Mandelson gets off all but scott free.

Whilst I am on the subject, the death of Alan Coren the other week (a death that really upset me, as this was a comedian whose writings and radio performances I have been enjoying since I was at school) has meant that the News Quiz has lost its last semi right of centre voice and with Mark Steel's Socialist Worker humour ever more to the fore the programme is getting closer to being crossed off my must listen list. Mark Steele is a regular BBC commentator on Radio 5 Live where his political affiliations have never been mentioned (so far as I am aware), despite his being invited to discuss politics on a semi-regular basis. Simone Clarke was denigrated by the media for being a supporter of the BNP a party whose views many would find no more repugnant than those of the SWP.


Thanks to Iain Dale we also know that ITN's news reporting standards are well up there with the BBC:
"ITN should hang its collective head in shame. On their Saturday night news bulletin they just reported the following..."Disgraced former Tory Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken is going to be advising the Conservative Party on prison reform... He will be heading up a policy group which will report to David Cameron."
Er. Bollocks. He's been asked to do it by the Centre for Social Justice, which is an independent think tank, chaired by Iain Duncan Smith. It has no formal links with the Tory Party whatsoever. This type of sloppiness is just not acceptable from one of Britain's leading news organisations"


UPDATE:
You can read one of Mark Steel's SWP articles here.