Photo: Kyle Cheung (Flickr)
Robert Smith thinks that instead of trying to portray the BBC as an equally guilty partner, the Right should acknowledge that ‘hackgate’ exposes downsides of an unconstrained media.
The sudden crisis at News International has been a welcome sight for those on the Left who have rejoiced in the collapse of an empire which they believe stands for all the things they oppose. They’ve reveled in the manner by which Rupert Murdoch, through their eyes a detestable symbol of capitalism, has fallen from his once untouchable position to the seat of a parliamentary committee room answering to MPs and having to endure the embarrassment of a face full of foam pie. In addition, even the previously loyal customers of the Sun or the News of the World have all of a sudden started to question whether they feel comfortable with the political power which the titles, especially those from News International, have had on themselves, the nation and the political system over the last many decades.
However, the fact remains still that a sizable quantity of politicians and commentators on the Right still feel a sense of connection with the Murdoch empire; by convention they detest the phone hacking activities of the News of the World, but they can’t quite bring themselves to go on the all out attack towards a media brand which they feel has been on their side, helping their argument, in recent history.
The easy thing to do therefore is to portion some of the blame towards a similarly large media organisation; the BBC being the most obvious target. I would particularly highlight the recent tone of Tim Montgomerie, the respectable co-editor of the influential Tory grassroots website ConservativeHome, who at best could only be described as mutedly critical of News International. Writing on Saturday for the Telegraph, he argues that rather than News International, it is the BBC which is the unhealthy protagonist in the British media.
It cannot be argued with that the BBC does dominate the process of news communication in the country; almost three quarters of the public get the majority of their news from the television, and the BBC provides a parallel percentage of that television news. However, the underlying dislike of the BBC by similar commentators is not just a result of the dominance the Corporation has, but more often by the fact that in general, those on the Right feel that the BBC operates a liberal political bias, sometimes even a left-wing agenda.
I’ve always felt that this is an unfair overstatement which is a far too simple characteristic to pin onto a widely respected national organisation. The neutralism of the BBC, I believe, sometimes leads it towards the liberal side not deliberately but naturally. Liberal is, by definition, the stance of being open towards new behaviour or opinions, regardless of traditional standpoints. For the BBC ever to be illiberal, or even conservative, would be to the detriment of its neutralism.
That’s not to say that all criticism of the organisation is unwarranted. The observation that more employees within the BBC have a liberal rather than conservative mindset, as argued by Peter Sissons earlier in the year, is a fair one. This arguably may lead to the downplaying of certain issues such as immigration, and the slight magnification of concerns such as budget cuts. But to say that its day to day coverage of news and politics is agenda driven is completely inappropriate. Indeed, any biases are usually insignificant and are often only found by those trying to find them.
As a counterargument, the political background of Nick Robinson, most probably the BBC’s most well known and respected commentator, includes the position as President of the Oxford University Conservative Association. Similarly, if you were to look at the background of Andrew Neil, who as anchorman of the BBC’s Daily Politics and This Week enjoys unrivaled political broadcasting time, then you would find on his CV the role of a Conservative research assistant, the editorship of the Times and now the Chairmanship of Spectator magazines. They may not like to advertise it publicly but they clearly have, or have had, affiliations with the centre-right. Sure, there will be those who can pick out BBC employees who have had more left leaning political backgrounds, but there are just as many examples to prove that the BBC is far from the broadcasting arm of the Guardian, as it is popular within right leaning circles to claim.
To take time criticising the BBC just deflects attention away from the real problems which have existed within the print media; notably News International, but now conceivably other organisatons as well. Capitalists, conservatives and those on the centre-right all need to realise that the Murdoch empire got too big, too powerful, and was able to pull too many strings within the political process. It thought it held a hierarchical position above that of the state; ignoring its laws, and dictating the terms of play by which politicians followed. To the same extent, those on the Left should realise that the newspapers which held small-c conservative positions towards issues of crime, immigration and Europe were popular not just because they had the best news scoops, but because such positions are, believe it or not, rather popular with the general public.
The aim of those on the Right trying to balance News International scrutiny with criticism of the BBC unfortunately comes across as sour grapes. There is a general feeling, whether rightly or wrongly, that with the government’s NHS reforms, Conservatives have attacked the favourite public three letter acronym this year; it would therefore be unwise to be seen as drawing the sword against the nation’s close second.
Robert Smith is Editor of Politiker. Follow on Twitter @RobertSmithUK
* This article was first published at the now defunct Dale & Co.
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