Press Bias

[John52]

My earliest memories of newspaper election coverage was reading that Harold Wilson didn't have a chance - so I was surprised when he won. Press bias was probably even worse then because these were the days of high income tax and inheritance tax for the super rich like newspaper owners - people were burying gold in their gardens because they thought it was armageddon.

The press were a lot more favourable to Tory Bliar of course because, as Thatcher said, he's one of us..

But now the knives seem to be out for the Labour Leader again.

Imagine how much they would be making of it if it was Jeremy Corbyn chickening out of a face to face TV debate with Theresa May instead of the other way round

Even David Dimbleby says the press coverage is unfair: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/may/30/jeremy-corbyn-david-dimbleby-rightwing-bias-british-newspapers

[StuartO]

There is bias in all political activity, so why expect journalists to be different - they all have some sort of personal bias and perhaps also a personal agenda.

 

The trick is to make the effort to be unbiased yourself, for example by reading a spectrum of newspapers and taking them all with a pinch of salt.  If you simply settle for reading what you expect to reinforce your own bias (in your case anti-royalist rags about royalty for example) you aren't going to learn anything new.

 

Interesting that last nights interviews by Paxman are criticising him rather than either of the politicians.  Both of them just seemed to trot out the same well-rehearsed answers.  I don't think there is anything wrong with challenging questions but Paxman seemed to be relying on thought-of-in-advance soundbite criticisms rather than any useful probing interrogation.

 

[John52]

Sometimes the questions are agreed in advance as a condition of appearing on the show. So Establishment stooges make a lot of money interviewing all the senior politicians and then get knighted for services to journalism *-)

Is that why Theresa May doesn't want Jeremy Corbyn asking the questions :-S

[malc d]

StuartO - 2017-05-30 1:45 PM

 

Interesting that last nights interviews by Paxman are criticising him rather than either of the politicians. 

 

 

 

I agree with them. I thought that Paxman was quite embarrassing.

 

I think he is past his sell by date.

 

;-)

[StuartO]

John52 - 2017-05-30 2:42 PMSometimes the questions are agreed in advance as a condition of appearing on the show. So Establishment stooges make a lot of money interviewing all the senior politicians and then get knighted for services to journalism *-)Is that why Theresa May doesn't want Jeremy Corbyn asking the questions :-S

I think you are just parading your own bias again.  I expect you think that the press are only biased against Jeremy Corbyn and only ever for Teresa May.  A more balanced view would be that sometimes the press (and broadcast journalists) are biased against both and sometimes they are biased towards both.  That doesn't mean of course that it's in any way even handed.

 

[Brian Kirby]

StuartO - 2017-05-30 3:26 PM

John52 - 2017-05-30 2:42 PMSometimes the questions are agreed in advance as a condition of appearing on the show. So Establishment stooges make a lot of money interviewing all the senior politicians and then get knighted for services to journalism *-)Is that why Theresa May doesn't want Jeremy Corbyn asking the questions :-S

I think you are just parading your own bias again.  I expect you think that the press are only biased against Jeremy Corbyn and only ever for Teresa May.  A more balanced view would be that sometimes the press (and broadcast journalists) are biased against both and sometimes they are biased towards both.  That doesn't mean of course that it's in any way even handed.

I assume that by "press" John means the daily (morning and evening) newspapers? If so, I think he has something of a point. Just list off the national dailies, and then count off those with an identifiably right wing slant, and those with an identifiably left wing slant. To me, just on a "quick and dirty count", it is fairly evident that there are more dailies right of centre than left. It is even more stark if the tabloids are excluded, leaving only the broadsheets in the mix. So much so that I have no idea where those with left leaning tendencies actually get their news! :-D

[antony1969]

You can't just whittle it down to press bias surely it has to be all news media ... If thats so I think your conveniently forgetting The Labour Party has had a good friend in the BBC for years and now even more so with its news channel , five live radio and BBC news internet site which I believe weekly is one of the most viewed in the UK probably beating all press purchases weekly combined ... If POTUS Donald Trump can win an election where most of the media in the USA is Democratic and attacked him personally with untrue puke daily then I reckon if Jeremy is good enough he too can romp home ... Trouble is though he's not

[John52]

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 6:56 AM

I reckon if Jeremy is good enough he too can romp home ... Trouble is though he's not

 

Lets be honest, He's good enough to scare the Tory leader out of a face to face TV debate.

[John52]

Brian Kirby - 2017-05-30 10:26 PM

 

I have no idea where those with left leaning tendencies actually get their news! :-D

 

from me on here :-S

[antony1969]

John52 - 2017-05-31 7:08 AM

 

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 6:56 AM

I reckon if Jeremy is good enough he too can romp home ... Trouble is though he's not

 

Lets be honest, He's good enough to scare the Tory leader out of a face to face TV debate.

 

Even if that were true he's still blatantly not good enough to be PM according to the electorate and you can blame right wing press for that till the cows come home

[John52]

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 7:36 AM

Even if that were true

Of course its true. Just imagine for a moment what you (and the Daily Mail etc) would be making of this if it was the other way round and Jeremy Corbyn was chickening out of a face to face TV debate with Theresa May.

How can you believe a word she says when she will only say it through a supportive media with the Leader of the Opposition having no chance to directly reply?

[StuartO]

Brian Kirby - 2017-05-30 10:26 PM

StuartO - 2017-05-30 3:26 PM

John52 - 2017-05-30 2:42 PMSometimes the questions are agreed in advance as a condition of appearing on the show. So Establishment stooges make a lot of money interviewing all the senior politicians and then get knighted for services to journalism *-)Is that why Theresa May doesn't want Jeremy Corbyn asking the questions :-S

I think you are just parading your own bias again.  I expect you think that the press are only biased against Jeremy Corbyn and only ever for Teresa May.  A more balanced view would be that sometimes the press (and broadcast journalists) are biased against both and sometimes they are biased towards both.  That doesn't mean of course that it's in any way even handed.

I assume that by "press" John means the daily (morning and evening) newspapers? If so, I think he has something of a point. Just list off the national dailies, and then count off those with an identifiably right wing slant, and those with an identifiably left wing slant. To me, just on a "quick and dirty count", it is fairly evident that there are more dailies right of centre than left. It is even more stark if the tabloids are excluded, leaving only the broadsheets in the mix. So much so that I have no idea where those with left leaning tendencies actually get their news! :-D

Don't tell me you think the Guardian is centerist or right wing!  And doesn't the Mirror count as firmly Labour-supporting?

 

[antony1969]

John52 - 2017-05-31 9:38 AM

 

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 7:36 AM

Even if that were true

Of course its true. Just imagine for a moment what you (and the Daily Mail etc) would be making of this if it was the other way round and Jeremy Corbyn was chickening out of a face to face TV debate with Theresa May.

How can you believe a word she says when she will only say it through a supportive media with the Leader of the Opposition having no chance to directly reply?

 

I wouldn't make anything of it as he's not ahead in the polls ! .... If him and his policies are so good then the public will vote for him on that not some TV debate ... I don't know anyone who's voting intention changed because of a TV debate , do you ? .... It all sounds like a cop out for losing to me

[John52]

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 12:35 PM

 

John52 - 2017-05-31 9:38 AM

 

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 7:36 AM

Even if that were true

Of course its true. Just imagine for a moment what you (and the Daily Mail etc) would be making of this if it was the other way round and Jeremy Corbyn was chickening out of a face to face TV debate with Theresa May.

How can you believe a word she says when she will only say it through a supportive media with the Leader of the Opposition having no chance to directly reply?

 

I wouldn't make anything of it as he's not ahead in the polls ! .... If him and his policies are so good then the public will vote for him on that not some TV debate ... I don't know anyone who's voting intention changed because of a TV debate , do you ? .... It all sounds like a cop out for losing to me

Why are you so keen to make excuses for Theresa May chickening out of a live TV debate with Jeremy Corbyn?

 

[antony1969]

John52 - 2017-05-31 1:52 PM

 

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 12:35 PM

 

John52 - 2017-05-31 9:38 AM

 

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 7:36 AM

Even if that were true

Of course its true. Just imagine for a moment what you (and the Daily Mail etc) would be making of this if it was the other way round and Jeremy Corbyn was chickening out of a face to face TV debate with Theresa May.

How can you believe a word she says when she will only say it through a supportive media with the Leader of the Opposition having no chance to directly reply?

 

I wouldn't make anything of it as he's not ahead in the polls ! .... If him and his policies are so good then the public will vote for him on that not some TV debate ... I don't know anyone who's voting intention changed because of a TV debate , do you ? .... It all sounds like a cop out for losing to me

Why are you so keen to make excuses for Theresa May chickening out of a live TV debate with Jeremy Corbyn?

 

No idea what excuses I'm supposed to have made up ... I don't understand your problem , if she "chickens out" of TV debate and all the other leaders turn up then your on a winner .... If she turns up and Corbyn wins the debate as you reckon then your on another winner ... Win win situation for you so why are you whinging

[John52]

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 1:58 PM

 

No idea what excuses I'm supposed to have made up ... I don't understand your problem

Not me with the problem. Theresa May has the problem debating with Jeremy Corbyn who you seem to think is useless

The lady is for turning, but not for turning up :-D

[Brian Kirby]

StuartO - 2017-05-31 9:49 AM.........................Don't tell me you think the Guardian is centerist or right wing!  And doesn't the Mirror count as firmly Labour-supporting?

But that is two papers out of how many? That was my point. I don't see any that could truly be presented as centrist - the Independent was closest, but has ceased its print edition. The rest are all, by degrees, right leaning. So I think John has a fair point overall.

 

I'm just like you Stuart, free from all political bias, and firmly rooted in the political centre ground. It's just odd that as we both share that political neutrality, we don't share the same take on press bias. It really is very puzzling! :-D

[Brian Kirby]

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 6:56 AM

 

You can't just whittle it down to press bias surely it has to be all news media ... If thats so I think your conveniently forgetting The Labour Party has had a good friend in the BBC for years and now even more so with its news channel , five live radio and BBC news internet site which I believe weekly is one of the most viewed in the UK probably beating all press purchases weekly combined ... If POTUS Donald Trump can win an election where most of the media in the USA is Democratic and attacked him personally with untrue puke daily then I reckon if Jeremy is good enough he too can romp home ... Trouble is though he's not

If all the media seem to you biased toward the left, couldn't it just be that your own political stance gives you that impression? After all, to a conviction communist, all media will look right wing dominated, whereas to a conviction fascist, all media will look left wing dominated.

 

From your various comments, over a long time, on this forum, my sense is that your general political sympathies lie well to the right of centre. QED?

[antony1969]

Brian Kirby - 2017-05-31 3:05 PM

 

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 6:56 AM

 

You can't just whittle it down to press bias surely it has to be all news media ... If thats so I think your conveniently forgetting The Labour Party has had a good friend in the BBC for years and now even more so with its news channel , five live radio and BBC news internet site which I believe weekly is one of the most viewed in the UK probably beating all press purchases weekly combined ... If POTUS Donald Trump can win an election where most of the media in the USA is Democratic and attacked him personally with untrue puke daily then I reckon if Jeremy is good enough he too can romp home ... Trouble is though he's not

If all the media seem to you biased toward the left, couldn't it just be that your own political stance gives you that impression? After all, to a conviction communist, all media will look right wing dominated, whereas to a conviction fascist, all media will look left wing dominated.

 

From your various comments, over a long time, on this forum, my sense is that your general political sympathies lie well to the right of centre. QED?

 

Regarding home politics I haven't said all media is biased to the left , I mentioned the Beeb which surely you must agree has a slight favouring towards Labour ... If your comment was about the last US election favouritism then surely again you cannot deny the whole world and it's daughter was against POTUS Sir Donald Trump and he still managed to win ( with Russian help the left now tell us ) ... If Corbyn is good enough for the majority then he will win , if not you can't blame the right wing press for his failings

[antony1969]

John52 - 2017-05-31 2:37 PM

 

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 1:58 PM

 

No idea what excuses I'm supposed to have made up ... I don't understand your problem

Not me with the problem. Theresa May has the problem debating with Jeremy Corbyn who you seem to think is useless

The lady is for turning, but not for turning up :-D

 

So she isn't turning up so your man wins .... I ask again what's the problem ?

[Violet1956]

StuartO - 2017-05-30 1:45 PMThere is bias in all political activity, so why expect journalists to be different - they all have some sort of personal bias and perhaps also a personal agenda.

 

The trick is to make the effort to be unbiased yourself, for example by reading a spectrum of newspapers and taking them all with a pinch of salt.  If you simply settle for reading what you expect to reinforce your own bias (in your case anti-royalist rags about royalty for example) you aren't going to learn anything new.

 

Interesting that last nights interviews by Paxman are criticising him rather than either of the politicians.  Both of them just seemed to trot out the same well-rehearsed answers.  I don't think there is anything wrong with challenging questions but Paxman seemed to be relying on thought-of-in-advance soundbite criticisms rather than any useful probing interrogation.

Couldn't agree more about Paxman Stuart. I thought his approach was rather insulting to the viewer. Laying traps for the interviewee is not what we need. We want the truth from them not a kind of schooled jousting match. No wonder people become bored with politics.Veronica

[malc d]

If you are unhappy about the perceived " bias " of the national press and TV you can always turn to Twitter and Facebook to find out what's really going on.

 

 

;-)

[StuartO]

Brian Kirby - 2017-05-31 2:57 PM

StuartO - 2017-05-31 9:49 AM.........................Don't tell me you think the Guardian is centerist or right wing!  And doesn't the Mirror count as firmly Labour-supporting?

But that is two papers out of how many? That was my point. I don't see any that could truly be presented as centrist - the Independent was closest, but has ceased its print edition. The rest are all, by degrees, right leaning. So I think John has a fair point overall. I'm just like you Stuart, free from all political bias, and firmly rooted in the political centre ground. It's just odd that as we both share that political neutrality, we don't share the same take on press bias. It really is very puzzling! :-D

My impression of you is that of a left-leaning liberal rather than an untainted centerist Brian, so it doesn't surprise me too much that you think the common bias among newspapers is towards the right!

I wasn't aiming to list all the left-leaning publications but aren't there lots of others if you include the New Statesman and isn't there one called the Socialist Worker or some such?  Do you really think The Times is right-leaning rather than just Murdoch-driven?

 

[Brian Kirby]

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 4:22 PM...............................Regarding home politics I haven't said all media is biased to the left , I mentioned the Beeb which surely you must agree has a slight favouring towards Labour ... If your comment was about the last US election favouritism then surely again you cannot deny the whole world and it's daughter was against POTUS Sir Donald Trump and he still managed to win ( with Russian help the left now tell us ) ... If Corbyn is good enough for the majority then he will win , if not you can't blame the right wing press for his failings

I'm not aware of this bias in the BBC. I seem to remember that under Blain Labour made similar comments about right wing bias. You can't criticise what any government does without the charge of political bias. Personally, I think all governments are open to criticism, the present government? being no exception, and the criticism should be made. The present opposition seems to me completely ineffectual, which under the circumstances borders on criminal, so who else is able to point up the stupidity and incompetence of government conduct?

 

Regarding Trump, I don't live in America, so don't have a strong interest. My personal view of the man is that he is a bit of an unsophisticated buffoon, albeit successful in property dealings. However, a successful property developer, however rich and successful, is not automatic material for the office he presently holds. How good he can be, and how well he learns his new trade, will only emerge over time. I'm not that hopeful, but prepared to be impressed in due course. The fact that the Americans elected him counts for nothing, IMO. Majorities have no monopoly on being right, they are just a majority at that moment in time - then the pendulum swings again.

[John52]

antony1969 - 2017-05-31 4:22 PM

Regarding home politics I haven't said all media is biased to the left , I mentioned the Beeb

You must be pretty extreme to think the Beeb is biased to the left. The way the Beeb fawns over the Royal Family is quite disgraceful. Their coverage of the Royal Wedding had me reaching for a sick bag :-(