The Student Room Group

Biased Broadcasting Corporation? (BBC)

Here's the headline on the BBC news site


headline.jpg

And here's what the source they are using say as a summary (pink underline added by me)

trig.jpg


It's disingenuous to say the least and set as headline above everything else makes it look like again they are pushing the 'brexit is making EU nationals feel pressured to leave'.
(edited 6 years ago)

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Reply 1
You're reading the bias you want to see.

The headline makes no mention of brexit, and brexit doesn't feature until the 4th paragraph where they say that "the ONS says Brexit may be a factor".

Your accusation is baseless and without merit.
(edited 6 years ago)
The news is the news. The fact that brexit may be driving people out is reality.
The BBC really need to be defunded, I dont want to be paying tax for a lot of the useless things they do such as translations in non official languages like pidgeon english, nor do I want the rampant leftwing views being payed for by me, just take a look at the bbc3 bit and it is a load of trash
Reply 4
Original post by Drewski
You're reading the bias you want to see.

The headline makes no mention of brexit, and brexit doesn't creature until the 4th paragraph where they say that "the ONS says Brexit may be a factor".

Your accusation is baseless and without merit.



BBC headline 'rising numbers of EU nationals leaving UK'

It's less than a 3% increase, the ONS who produced them say not statistically significant. Net migration with the EU reverts to 2012 levels. Not everyone will read each article fully some will just glance at the headlines twice a day and succumb to their agenda.


Just like they did with unemployment the other day. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't a national broadcaster funded by licence fees with an obligation to be impartial.
Interestingly YouGov did a poll regarding perceived bias in the media. See: https://yougov.co.uk/news/2018/02/22/bbc-news-pro-brexit-or-anti-brexit/

The fact neither side agrees probably lends weight to the argument that both a) people see the bias they want, and b) the BBC is doing a fine enough job and remaining neutral. Though I do fine it curious to note that Leavers are vastly more adamant about perceived 'anti-Brexit' bias than Remainers are about the BBC being 'pro-Brexit'.
Reply 6
Original post by bob072
BBC headline 'rising numbers of EU nationals leaving UK'

It's less than a 3% increase, the ONS who produced them say not statistically significant. Net migration with the EU reverts to 2012 levels. Not everyone will read each article fully some will just glance at the headlines twice a day and succumb to their agenda.


Just like they did with unemployment the other day. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't a national broadcaster funded by licence fees with an obligation to be impartial.


They are technically correct. The headline is right.

In the body of the story they explain the nuances, but the numbers back up what they say.


You just want to get outraged.
Reply 7
Original post by Rinsed
Oh come off it, you'd have to be living under a rock to not read "because of Brexit" into that headline.


That's your problem. Not the fault of the BBC.

If you're incapable of reading something without putting your own spin on things, maybe it's you that's the issue?
Original post by Rinsed
Twice as many people are coming into the UK from the EU than leaving. That is the reality of this supposed "Brexodus".


...and how does that refute my point? People are still leaving, possible due to brexit. That's a fact.
Original post by Rinsed
I don't doubt some people are leaving because of Brexit


then stop moaning.
Reply 10
Original post by Drewski
That's your problem. Not the fault of the BBC.

If you're incapable of reading something without putting your own spin on things, maybe it's you that's the issue?



Did you not read the word EU ? Why didn't they focus on migration from Asia or America where the changes were just as significant.
Original post by bob072
Did you not read the word EU ? Why didn't they focus on migration from Asia or America where the changes were just as significant.


The news here is that it's the highest number of EU migrants leaving in a decade. It's not "just as significant".

People like you aren't interested in the news. You think this is some sort of game where the left and right are against each other. Stick to breitbart and the daily mail where you'll find the news you want.
Original post by Rinsed
Please tell me, honestly, when you read that headline did your mind join the dots that this was a story related to Brexit or did you have to read to the fourth paragraph before you genuinely saw the connection?

Because if the former, it isn't just my problem is it?

The fact is that this is the latest in a long line of similar stories about the leave vote allegedly driving EU citizens away. We do not consume each item of news independently, and neither does the BBC expect us to. When they looked at those stats and chose that headline they were putting a political spin on something which could have been written up in multiple ways.


I read it as the reporting of a survey by the ONS. Nothing more, nothing less.

You read more into it. You put words into their mouths. You have the obsession.
Original post by bob072
Just like they did with unemployment the other day. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't a national broadcaster funded by licence fees with an obligation to be impartial.


'Unemployment may have either decreased by a bit or increased by a bit more' isn't a headline. With a labour market this tight, if you wait for a change to have a 95% significance level then there's no point reporting anything the ONS says.
Reply 14
Original post by Caesar333
The news here is that it's the highest number of EU migrants leaving in a decade. It's not "just as significant".

People like you aren't interested in the news. You think this is some sort of game where the left and right are against each other. Stick to breitbart and the daily mail where you'll find the news you want.



It's being going up each year, another tiny increase isn't headline news. A decade ago the effects of unlimited EU migration were just beginning to be felt, after years of more people coming in than leaving it's very unsurprising there are more in total leaving than before.

According to the ONS it is.


I've never read the daily mail or breitbart.
Reply 15
Original post by BasicMistake
'Unemployment may have either decreased by a bit or increased by a bit more' isn't a headline. With a labour market this tight, if you wait for a change to have a 95% significance level then there's no point reporting anything the ONS says.


Nope, I meant their focus was heavily on the negative news rise in unemployment; not employment up by 80,000 or wage rises or the reason for the unemployment rise being more opportunities with people looking for better jobs.
Original post by Rinsed
The way the BBC headline selectively reports from the study is obviously not independent of the wider context of, you know, the news.

Are you seriously saying you read that headline and thought "oh the BBC is reporting a study" and only later realised the obvious relation to the Brexit debate? I will believe you if you say so. I mean, I'll also think you're pretty thick, but I will believe you.


Of course you are able to correlate it to wider brexit news, but you are also able to take it as news in its own right.


A human brain is actually capable of more than one thought at a time.

You should try it.
Original post by Rinsed
which, by the way, I am certain the BBC were deliberately invoking


Oh, you're certain? Well that makes all the difference here!
...
This is not a subject for debate, the anti Brexit bias of the BBC is a proven fact.

Of 4,275 guests on BBC's flagship Today programme between 2005 and 2015 who talked about the EU, only 132 were Brexiteers.
Put another way, just 3.2% of Today interviewees were anti-EU, despite consistent public support for EU withdrawal throughout this time.

http://www.civitas.org.uk/content/files/brusselsbroadcastingcorporation.pdf

The Guardian describes Today as the most important news programme in the UK, driving the political agenda

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/may/26/behind-scenes-today-radio-4

John Humphries, a presenter on the programme even implicitly admits the bias;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5033733/How-Brexit-vote-stunned-touch-BBC-bosses.html

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