Wading through treacle aka complaining to the BBC
Published
by
Leah Levane
JVL Introduction
Many JVL supporters signed the original complaint referred to in this article; complaining to the BBC, escalating to OfCom requires tenacity above all. The writer, who was responsible for corresponding backwards and forwards with the BBC and Ofcom throughout 2023 is clear that while the BBC and Ofcom did not ignore the complaint, their substantial replies consisted of little more than obfuscation. It is beyond frustrating that carefully compiled evidence is dismissed rather than being received as a contribution to help the BBC operate in accordance with its own charter for impartiality and balance.
These concerns are not new and have been backed by many BBC journalists themselves. We cannot give up trying to hold our public institutions to account but it is unrewarding work.
LL
This article was originally published by CAMPAIN Website on Sun 5 Jan 2025. Read the original here.
How the BBC stonewalled CAMPAIN’s complaint
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Yes indeed unrewarding work and I admire CAMPAIN so much. I have complained a number of times myself as an individual, ever since 2017 when the antisemitism smear was vigorously spread on Newsnight and the Today programme. Replies never took less than 6 weeks to come and always denied everything. But keep going!
A few years ago, I provided a very lengthy analysis of BBC bias for America’s Monthly Review – covering macro issues political, war/foreign-policy and economic partisanship. The simplest most obvious, being how its news coverage protected its own staff assets. One such story was how Jeremy Clarkson had insulted Argentinian war dead with a series of ‘joke’ number plates while driving across the country. Despite the Guardian, Observer, Mirror, Mail et al having evidence – including photos – the BBC’s news service lied about it being a single number plate coincidence. There was also Jimmy Saville.
“Presenter Jeremy Paxman told an enquiry into the scandal that the decision not to pursue the story was a “policy judgment,” and that he believed it “must have been a corporate decision.”16 The Press Gazette, followed by the Guardian, featured articles suggesting that a number of BBC journalists–including Meirion Jones, Liz MacKean, and Tom Giles—who had attempted to expose the alleged Savile cover-up, were tainted as “traitors” and “squeezed out” of the corporation as punishment, while others involved in suppressing the Savile story have kept their jobs.”17
https://monthlyreview.org/2016/04/01/the-broken-bbc/#fn17 & https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/broadcast/meirion-jones-speaks-out-everyone-who-was-right-side-savile-argument-has-been-forced-out-bbc/ & https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/29/bbc-savile-expose-newsnight-meirion-jones
Grand work. I have complained steadily from the start of the obvious collusion of the BBC’s ‘news’ function in its endeavour to discredit a de facto ‘socialist’s’ whole, political life. It became obvious to anyone, after the right wing of the Labour party tried to oust Jeremy Corbyn by any means possible, that the BBC took their side. There was spirited opposition to the wreckers in the beginning, which scared the BBC enough to then deploy their preferred method of propaganda – that of omission. If it wasn’t on the BBC, it didn’t happen. They are without doubt, a threat to any, laughable semblance of ‘democracy’ remaining. We need to get rid, comrades.
Amazing persistance. Congratulations to Jonathan and all at Campain for this heroic effort.
I thank and applaud Jonathan for producing this truly in-depth article.
BBC output appears to be mostly sloppy, shallow, indeed biased and shows fundamental corporate laziness. The BBC hierarchy is refusing to study facts. The BBC is unfit for its purpose as a trusted public information broadcaster.
CAMPAIN, as run by patiently working sincere volunteers such as Jonathan, is a refreshing relief from the stifling grip of the establishment news media.
I, too, have complained to the BBC over their “antisemitism” coverage. One of the responses was to ask me for other examples of such bias, implying that I ought to be making a more general case. From the Campain experience I infer that this is a trick: the BBC leads you to making a general case so that, should be matter be escalated, Occom can dismiss the complaint for being too general.
By the way, the BBC’s response to my referencing another example of bias on the same issue was to ask for the date of the interview I had cited – an interview with Lord Levy on the Today radio programme. I was able to identify the week of the item but not the exact day, so the BBC said that was not precise enough. Obviously there is no will to do anything but lay treacle on the path to justice.
These are frightening times, it seems that powerful factions in the UK are closing ranks, trashing important elements of our democracy.
Starmer has recently hosted talks with M. Gen. Oded Basyuk, Elad Goren, Yuval Litvin and other Israeli military personnel. Little wonder that he and Lammy seem to want to redefine Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in opposition to the International Courts. ‘Declassified’ investigation.
Absolutely damning of both the BBC and the system of oversight of complaints. But at least a marker has been placed
I have made a number of complaints to the BBC – with the same result as everyone else. One of the ways they have responded is with a generic letter telling me that they have had lots of complaints so have produced a response to all of us. The problem was, my complaints were clearly different from the ones they responded to generically – not a single point I had made was answered, so I went to the second stage – and my complaints were rejected there too. I wonder what a successful complaint would look like!!
Curious every single comment has one down vote. Perhaps an individual came to the page that does not like the project?
I have submitted several complaints to the BBC on the coverage of UK migration and asylum issues and my experience has been very similar. I have not seen any change in output since this report and the endorsement by the BBC of its six key points https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2024/bbc-thematic-review-migration-output
By amplifying anti-immigrant views which are expressed for political gain by politicians and other people of influence, and failing to question these narratives and to allow the reality of refugee and other immigrant experience to be heard, I believe media such as the BBC are implicated in the rise of far-right anti-immigrant rhetoric and violence.