BBC

[Imurg]

Problem here is that it's not one or the other. And this is the rub for many.

If I choose to pay private health care (which I do via my ltd co) I still have to pay taxes that fund the NHS regardless as to whether I will use it or not. So paying twice.

You have to pay taxes that fund the NHS because, when you crash your car, it's the NHS ambulance that comes to cart you off to A&E not a private ambulance.
Private health care is, primarily, for elective medical procedures not emergencies.......

 

[GreiginFife]

You have to pay taxes that fund the NHS because, when you crash your car, it's the NHS ambulance that comes to cart you off to A&E not a private ambulance.
Private health care is, primarily, for elective medical procedures not emergencies.......

On point one, indeed they are. In the current model but in a world of choice that same ambulance could charge back against a private health insurance rather than absorb the cost. And that same ambulance will attend and transport a non-taxpayer as well.

On point two, it depends how you use it and your policy. But again, this is one dimensional "current model" thinking. There is nothing in the world stopping the NHS from working collaboratively with private insurers but they don't as it's "not the way we do things round 'ere".

 

[WGCRider]

I don't believe the BBC to be fair balanced or impartial

Genuine question. While I agree that nobody should rely on a sign source for info and nobody is without bias etc. What news source do you believe provides a better balance or is more unbiased than the BBC?

 

[AmandaJR]

The funny thing with the BBC and impartiality is, in my experience, both sides of the political spectrum accuse it of bias.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The funny thing with the BBC and impartiality is, in my experience, both sides of the political spectrum accuse it of bias.

Maybe it’s just me but I have no idea about any bias within the BBC - when I watch the news which is rarely they just seem to report what’s going on , and I can make my own mind up about any issues , certainly don’t feel that the BBC are pushing any agendas etc - but it does show that maybe it is down tbe middle when both sides say it’s biased




On another note - it’s very refreshing to see quite an emotive debate be done sensibly and respectfully of others opinions - it’s a debate that has diverted a little but has stayed within good boundaries

 

[Deleted member 18121]

Genuine question. While I agree that nobody should rely on a sign source for info and nobody is without bias etc. What news source do you believe provides a better balance or is more unbiased than the BBC?

No singular outlet does, they all have an angle depending on who funds them or who runs them.

For your general every day news I'm not too fussed which one I read, but if it's politically or scientifically based news (for example) I'll look at several sources and then decide which one I believe could be closest to the truth.

 

[WGCRider]

No singular outlet does, they all have an angle depending on who funds them or who runs them.

For your general every day news I'm not too fussed which one I read, but if it's politically or scientifically based news (for example) I'll look at several sources and then decide which one I believe could be closest to the truth.

With respect, that's a bit of a cop out. You've said you don't trust the BBC, surely a reasonable follow up is; Who do you trust more than the BBC?

 

[Hobbit]

Maybe it’s just me but I have no idea about any bias within the BBC - when I watch the news which is rarely they just seem to report what’s going on , and I can make my own mind up about any issues , certainly don’t feel that the BBC are pushing any agendas etc - but it does show that maybe it is down tbe middle when both sides say it’s biased




On another note - it’s very refreshing to see quite an emotive debate be done sensibly and respectfully of others opinions - it’s a debate that has diverted a little but has stayed within good boundaries

Whenever a politician is on, irrespective of which party, they seem to get a fair grilling. I do feel they occasionally stray in commentating on the news rather than reporting on it. But to be fair, ITV & Sky News are guilty of it too. It’s a fine balancing act, and I don’t expect them to get it right every time. Beeb news is still my preferred choice.

 

[Deleted member 18121]

With respect, that's a bit of a cop out. You've said you don't trust the BBC, surely a reasonable follow up is; Who do you trust more than the BBC?

With respect, it's not a cop out and as I've alluded to... It depends on the story, who is involved and who the organisation is funded by or run by.

Purely as an example... During the whole Brexit era I wouldn't trust an outlet reporting who received it's funding from the EU in comparison to an independent outlet.

Some media outlets are pure and simple doom mongering sensationalist types , where as others are left, others are right..... Truth of the matter is that it's not often that one outlet will tell the whole truth, it's a case of reading many and then the truth being somewhere in the middle.

 

[Swango1980]

Whenever a politician is on, irrespective of which party, they seem to get a fair grilling. I do feel they occasionally stray in commentating on the news rather than reporting on it. But to be fair, ITV & Sky News are guilty of it too. It’s a fine balancing act, and I don’t expect them to get it right every time. Beeb news is still my preferred choice.

I suppose a lot of news IS opinion based. That is what makes those topics news. So, it is probably difficult to report on certain news stories without offering "expert" opinions. Otherwise, if facts were just reported on some things, then it might be impossible for most of the general public in knowing what it may mean to them in layman's terms. They'd need to go off and do their own independent research, and all they'd probably be doing is surfing twitter and reading even more unreliable opinions on the subject.

Covid is a good example. We were told what we should and shouldn't do as a matter of fact. But, as there were so many unknowns, then there were all sorts of expert opinion on what we should and should not be doing. Pros and cons were discussed to kingdom come. Some pretty well informed people (and many not so much) may have had completely different outlooks on certain issues, and these issues were debated. Listening to different opinions, hopefully from pretty well informed people, helps us all come to our own conclusions. Politics, in general, is very much like this.

 

[Swango1980]

With respect, it's not a cop out and as I've alluded to... It depends on the story, who is involved and who the organisation is funded by or run by.

Purely as an example... During the whole Brexit era I wouldn't trust an outlet reporting who received it's funding from the EU in comparison to an independent outlet.

Some media outlets are pure and simple doom mongering sensationalist types , where as others are left, others are right..... Truth of the matter is that it's not often that one outlet will tell the whole truth, it's a case of reading many and then the truth being somewhere in the middle.

All you are really saying is that you don't trust anyone? Which is fine, as I agree so much news is sensationalism. However, I presume when you are interpreting the news between all the multiple media outlets, the BBC may well be one of those sources you use?

As far as I see it, the BBC is more reliable than the vast majority of other news media. If I switch on to ITV at breakfast, to see Good Morning Britain for example, the news there is horrific. They have their own agenda for nearly every news topic, and that is no surprise as a programme that used to have Piers Morgan as an anchor. I know that is just one program on ITV, but it certainly helped put a big stain on their credibility for me

 

[Deleted member 25172]

If it hasn't been done, perhaps they could do a survey amongst the people working within the BBC? The Swedish equivalent of the BBC - SvT (Sveriges Television) has a rather laughable history of left wing bias. Which isn't particularly surprising though to be honest. When they did a survey amongst public service journalists (this does have a good few years on it though - done in 2005), 71% voted left (29% for the Swedish Green party, 30% for the Swedish Labour party, and 12% on the left wing party, formerly known as KPMLr (Kommunistpartiet Marxist-Leninisterna Radikalerna) - The Radical Marxist-Leninist Communist Party.

A further survey was done in 2019 where they looked at Swedish journalists in general, so not just accounting for the public service. Numbers showing pretty much same thing (70% on the 3 left party's, but this time, the old communist party had 32%, Labour 24% and The Greens just shy of 15%. The number for the general public for those 3 were 46% in the survey done.

Of course that is going to have an impact when it comes to what news is shown and how it is presented, in the same way it does with privately owned news organisations.

 

[Reemul]

Problem here is that it's not one or the other. And this is the rub for many.

If I choose to pay private health care (which I do via my ltd co) I still have to pay taxes that fund the NHS regardless as to whether I will use it or not. So paying twice.

BBC is the same. This is not a "BBC Good/BBC Bad" post, I don't care either way. But I am in favour of people having choices and one of those choices is whether to pay for the BBC as a service.

I can't believe you think you teeny tiny little bit of tax covers every item of taxation in the country. Like your 0.001 of penny goes to health. Blimey. I don't have kids so every tax thing to do with kids is not relevant to me and so on.
Maybe you have been a sicknote in the past and cost the NHS thousands of pounds which you tax would never cover in a million years and there are thousands of examples of these but oh no you have private health care...

 

[GreiginFife]

I can't believe you think you teeny tiny little bit of tax covers every item of taxation in the country. Like your 0.001 of penny goes to health. Blimey. I don't have kids so every tax thing to do with kids is not relevant to me and so on.
Maybe you have been a sicknote in the past and cost the NHS thousands of pounds which you tax would never cover in a million years and there are thousands of examples of these but oh no you have private health care...

Comment retracted. I stopped to their level for a moment there.

 

[PNWokingham]

If it hasn't been done, perhaps they could do a survey amongst the people working within the BBC? The Swedish equivalent of the BBC - SvT (Sveriges Television) has a rather laughable history of left wing bias. Which isn't particularly surprising though to be honest. When they did a survey amongst public service journalists (this does have a good few years on it though - done in 2005), 71% voted left (29% for the Swedish Green party, 30% for the Swedish Labour party, and 12% on the left wing party, formerly known as KPMLr (Kommunistpartiet Marxist-Leninisterna Radikalerna) - The Radical Marxist-Leninist Communist Party.

A further survey was done in 2019 where they looked at Swedish journalists in general, so not just accounting for the public service. Numbers showing pretty much same thing (70% on the 3 left party's, but this time, the old communist party had 32%, Labour 24% and The Greens just shy of 15%. The number for the general public for those 3 were 46% in the survey done.

Of course that is going to have an impact when it comes to what news is shown and how it is presented, in the same way it does with privately owned news organisations.

i suspect a |BBC survey would show similar results

 

[TimShady]

i suspect a |BBC survey would show similar results

You’d hope so as a broadcaster for the people!

 

[PJ87]

You’d hope so as a broadcaster for the people!

It very funny the BBC

The left say it's right bias

The right claim it's left bias

I find it pretty even tbh

It seems more left because it holds the government to account so past few years has been right so sounds left by questioning them

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Genuine question. While I agree that nobody should rely on a sign source for info and nobody is without bias etc. What news source do you believe provides a better balance or is more unbiased than the BBC?

Channel 4
ITV

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I like your list but Comic Strip Presents was created by and broadcast by Channel 4. They moved to BBC briefly but then went back to C4.

Which is Government owned....

 

[PJ87]

Well it's out there now

His wife has named Huw Edwards as the presenter

Very surprised (well not after I read it a week ago but first time I was)