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Comment by seamyb88 | Hacker News Reader

> To be fair, the BBC is about as independent as your average non-state media company, and definitely less entangled with the past five governments than anything owned by Murdoch.

Absolutely not true. From propagating the idea that life-long advocate of equality, Jeremy Corbyn, is antisemitic, to sending well-fed journos out on boats to chase migrants (never people, migrants) around asking them what they want, the BBC is a Conservative mouth-piece.

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I dislike the BBC as much as anyone, but I think the fact is, they are neither anybody's mouthpiece, nor do they have any particular agenda. Simply, it is staffed by well connected, wealthy people who live in and around London, and as such, represents their views - warts and all.

Not to mention _literally_ portraying the chancellor as Superman. [1]

[1] https://www.thenational.scot/news/18620765.bbc-slammed-portr...

And Corbyn was Lenin. I think that tells you all you need to know about the BBC.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jeremy-corby...

Find me one instance of the BBC directly calling Jeremy Corbyn an antisemite.

Why would anyone do it directly when you can just insinuate? "Critics say..."

So you can't.

Correct. You have slain the strawman! Congratulations.

BBC seems to get about as many accusations of left-wing and right-wing bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_the_BBC

...which in my book means they must be doing something right. Their reporting certainly seems less rabidly partisan than pretty much anything in the US.

Fence sitting does not automatically make you right. Half way between two falsehoods is still wrong.

For the BBC they HAVE to keep the government happy to continue to exist, or they will be legislated away. Same as any other state owned broadcaster.

Although the threats from the current government against the BBC seem empty. Why would they destroy the most successful government controlled media operation in the world?

The right controls the non-government media organizations just as well, what's the difference? The BBC is harder to control because it legally is supposed to be impartial.

I find it comforting that both the left and the right in the UK is convinced the BBC is hopelessly biased against them. They must be doing something right.

(I'm being slightly flippant - I am aware how it's possible to be wrong on both counts. However I do think calling the BBC a "Conservative mouth-piece" when many on the right of the Tory part think the BBC is left-wing and beyond repair is a little unfair)

The BBC are biased towards the status quo - left-leaning social policies, right-leaning economic policies and a (currently) Conservative government.

The right-wingers get upset about social pieces, the left-wingers get upset about economic and political pieces. But it's not even possible or desirable to be utterly unbiased, so one of our broadcasters being "the voice of the Establishment" doesn't seem like that bad a thing to me. It's not like other broadcasters aren't avaiable.

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