Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Can BBC Journalists Be Influential? The Evening Standard Thinks Not

The Evening Standard Londoners' Diary had a very peculiar item tonight...

TORY blogger Iain Dale is running a survey on the most influential political
journalists. It includes questions about the influence of BBC presenters Huw
Edwards, John Humphrys and Eddie Mair. Isn’t the whole point of BBC presenters
that they do not betray their political leanings and are therefore dispassionate
and non-influential?

The truth is that I am not running any such survey. Total Politics is. I haven't had any involvement in it this year. Ben Duckworth, the editor, is running it. But the assertion that John Humphrys et al are not influential is as laughable as it is preposterous.

I suppose in order to introduce at least a hint of accuracy to the Evening Standard's story I could run the same survey on the blog. Just to be kind, you understand.


6 comments:

Houdini said...

Ummm, aren't you being a tad over dramatic and precious over this? The Standard didn't say they were or were not influential, but asked a very simple and succinct, and valid question, perhaps rhetorically as an observation.

Isn’t the whole point of BBC presenters that they do not betray their political leanings and are therefore dispassionate
and non-influential?


Would you like to answer their question? They may be influential, but if they are they must then by definition be exerting an influence to one political viewpoint or another, which is the whole point.

Unknown said...

I think you need to calm down and re-read what they actually wrote, Daley-Boy - this time with your spectacles on.

You have either misread what they actually wrote and need an optician or you have completely misconstrued their point and should work on your reading comprehension.

Oscar Miller said...

I see the media hitmen on the site are out - pretending that BBC presenters are not influential. Why are they protesting so much? Touch of over sensitivity on the subject perhaps? It's not Iain that's being precious boys. Strikes me you are the ones that need to go to the opticians to check your less than twenty twenty vision.

Unsworth said...

"Isn’t the whole point of BBC presenters that they do not betray their political leanings"

Well it seems as if Edwards, Humphrys, Mair and far too many others have all failed. Sack them for incompetence then.

neil craig said...

"Isn’t the whole point of BBC presenters that they do not betray their political leanings and are therefore dispassionate and non-influential?"

Yes that's the theory.

Anybody think it is the fact?

Man in a Shed said...

It could just be me, but doesn't Huw
Edwards lip curl at the side everything the auto-cue makes him say the word Tory ?