BBC response to my complaint of bias - and my reply

I wrote to the BBC complaining of Bias on 10 November

Here is their response:

Dear - Franklin

Reference CAS-5173865-KL2G8M

Thanks for contacting us regarding the Radio 4 programme ‘Today’ broadcast on 10 November 2018.

I understand you felt there were a lack of strong remain viewpoints.

Thanks for rising these concerns. The reports on this edition were focused more on Theresa May’s inner party divisions and to gather viewpoints from party members about those concerns. It wasn’t focused specifically on leave or remain viewpoints from the EU referendum. Due impartiality isn’t necessarily always achieved in one single report or programme, so we would ask that you take account of how we cover a topic over time. This means if Jacob Rees-Mogg appears on a programme, then we wouldn’t necessarily have a counter version of Jacob on the programme to offer immediate view. Balance is more achievable over a more reasonable period and the programme features a wide spectrum of political viewpoints.

Also note that presenters would play devil’s advocate and put forward counter viewpoints when challenging comments made by interviewees. These interviews can be very robust and aggressive if they feel the interviewee isn’t directly addressing the concerns in the question put forward.

Impartiality is a core value of the BBC, and one reason why we believe our news coverage is trusted and respected around the world. We apply this principle to our reporting of all issues. BBC News never takes a position on anything that we cover, but we always aim to reflect a broad range of voices on any given subject. The BBC is of course independent of any political or commercial interests, and our news agenda would never be influenced by any outside organisation.

With regards to Brexit coverage in general, we aim to cover the ongoing Brexit negotiations with due impartiality. This means we carry a wide range of views about the European Union from across the political spectrum on our output.

We approach the story with the required level of impartiality, with input from various commentators and experts. 'Feedback' on BBC Radio 4 has addressed the issue of complaints about how we cover the story. Our Chief Political Adviser and the controller of the BBC's daily news programming joined Today presenter Nick Robinson, to discuss the common complaints from all sides. You may be interested in the sections at 3mins and 13mins especially: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09z688x

As with any story we cover, BBC News does not have an opinion on the European Union, or on the UK’s position within it. Instead we try to explain the different and sometimes complex issues affecting our audience during Brexit. Our aim is to give them the information they need in order to follow the process clearly.

We appreciate your concerns and hope this helps to explain how we approach our reporting of this subject.

That said, we value your feedback about this issue. All complaints are sent to senior management and programme teams every morning and I included your points in this overnight report.

These reports are among the most widely read sources of feedback in the BBC and ensures that your complaint has been seen by the right people quickly. This helps inform their decisions about current and future programmes.

Once again, thank you for contacting us.

Kind regards

Philip Young
BBC Complaints Team
www.bbc.co.uk/complaint


Thank you for your rapid response to my complaint of bias over Brexit coverage at the BBC. Unfortunately it doesn’t really address the issue. Although you make assertions that there is impartiality there is nothing in your email which actually demonstrates this.

I would therefore be grateful if you would supply me with information that will enable me to understand how you ensure impartiality. In particular could you send me

1. A copy of your policy on impartiality in relation to Brexit. Given the nature of Brexit. I presume that you do have one.
2. Data on who you have interviewed on Brexit on national radio and TV, in what programmes and time slots where appropriate (eg the Today Programme), how long they were interviewed for, what their position was deemed to be in relation to Brexit (or why they were chosen).
3. How you monitor impartiality within and between programmes

If it helps, this can be considered to be a Freedom of Information Request as well as a complaint.

I am sure that you understand that unless you are gathering and monitoring this (or similar) information yourself you cannot know whether or not you are being impartial.

I look forward to your response.