BBC bias how Independent is the Committee of Inquiry?

 

Complaints of pro-EU bias at the BBC are to be investigated by a panel of inquiry chaired by Lord Wilson of Dinton, former Cabinet Secretary.

 

Ann Sloman, the BBC’s recently retired Chief Political Advisor who is believed to have played a major role in their selection, will assist the inquiry members.

 

Lord Pearson of Rannoch who has backed up his complaints with the detailed monitoring of BBC political output over six years, to the panel, which will report to the BBC Board of Governors, following a long campaign against BBC bias.

Although the panel is committed to examining the claim that euro-sceptic and pro-withdrawal voices are routinely marginalized, it will also decide whether the BBC has failed to explain European issues and their impact on British life thanks to observing these through” a Westminster prism”.

 

The BBC maintains that, unlike similar panels of inquiry, this one will be wholly independent of the BBC management and will be provided with material, including broadcast analysis and focus group research, by an outside consultant.

 

The panel will consist of two europhiles and two eurosceptics.  The pro-European pairing will consist of Sir Stephen Wall, formerly our man in Brussels and senior EU advisor to the PM in No 10. and Lucy Armstrong, a business consultant.

Representing the eurosceptics will be Rodney Leach, Chairman of Business for Sterling, and Nigel Smith, Chairman of the No-euro campaign.  Both Mr Leach and Mr Smith have said publicly that they are not in favour of British withdrawal from the EU.

 

There are several reasons for doubting whether the panel can be as independent as Michael Grade, the BBC Chairman maintains.  Amongst them is the fact there will be no one on the panel who publicly advocates withdrawal from the EU.

 

And then there is the fact that Miss Sloman shares a high degree of responsibility for the programmes about which the panel must sit in judgement.

 

Lord Pearson commented:  “ The situation is comparable to a court case in which one of the accused is allowed to sit on the jury and to act as clerk to the court!”

 

[Fonts altered-bolding used –comments in brackets]

 

 

[Is there not a well-known axiom, which states that a person cannot be a judge in his own behalf?]           

                                                        12/04   

 

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www.eutruth.org.uk

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www.thewestminsternews.co.uk

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www.speakout.co.uk

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Daniel Hannan - Forming an OPPOSITION to the EU

www.telegraph.co.uk.blogs

 

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VOTE

MAY -2007

 

TO LEAVE THE EUROPEAN UNION

WITH THE ONLY PARTY WITH A MANDATE

TO SET YOU

 FREE

 

THE

UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY

www.ukip.org

 

TO RECLAIM YOUR DEMOCRACY DON'T VOTE FOR THE TRIPARTITE PARTIES IN WESTMINSTER

BUT

SMALL PARTIES THAT SPEAK THEIR MINDS WITHOUT SPIN AND LIES.

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ONLY

PRO-PORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

WILL BRING DEMOCRACY BACK TO THE ENGLISH PEOPLE

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Home Rule for Scotland

WHY NOT

HOME RULE for ENGLAND

 

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MAY/07

 

[All underlined words have a separate bulletin

THE QUESTION THAT THE VOTER MUST ANSWER

 

‘DO YOU WISH TO BE GOVERNED BY YOUR OWN PEOPLE, LAW AND CUSTOM OR BY THE CORRUPT ,EXPENSIVE UNACCOUNTABLE AND ALIEN BUSYBODY BRUSSELS’

 

-SIMPLE IS IT NOT?

 

 

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