The BBC and Farage – a complaint
Today The National reported that the Liberal Democrats had written to broadcast regulator Ofcom to complain about the BBC’s excessive coverage (one might even say cheerleading. Ed.) of one Nigel Paul Farage, liar, charlatan, racist, Brexit cheerleader and chief honcho of alleged political party Reform UK.
Max Wilkinson, the Lib Dems’ culture and media spokesperson, has remarked: “The BBC is following Farage around like a lost puppy and the resulting wall-to-wall coverage is giving legitimacy to a man who wants to do to Britain what Trump is doing to America.”, as well as stating that the broadcaster is compromising its reputation.
Furthermore, the party states that it only receives a fraction of the coverage given to Farage and his fan club despite the Lib Dems having eighteen times as many MPs.
The full text of Mr Wilkinson’s letter is as follows:
Dear Melanie Dawes,
I’m writing to you to urge you to review whether the high volume of coverage of Reform UK by the BBC is in line with broadcast guidance.
The BBC is an important part of our national story. Research carried out this May revealed what many of us know instinctively: that the BBC is the most respected broadcaster in the world – ranking first across the globe for trust, reliability and independence. Its mission is to act in the public interest. The corporation is governed by Royal Charter.
By paying such disproportionate attention to Nigel Farage’s latest outfit, Reform UK, the BBC is compromising its reputation. To many licence fee payers, the broadcaster gives the impression that hangs on every word uttered by Nigel Farage, despite his party’s scant representation in Parliament. Most recently, we have seen Reform enact bans on journalism and spread dangerous untruths at its autumn conference, linking Covid vaccination jabs to cancer.
The coverage of my party, the Liberal Democrats, has been disproportionately low. The broadcaster’s online platform, BBC Online, mentions Nigel Farage three times as frequently as it does Ed Davey. In Parliament the Liberal Democrats represent eighteen times as many constituencies as Reform UK.
This discrepancy does real damage to the BBC’s reputation as a fair, independent broadcaster and its ability to abide by its own charter. By giving Reform lift and airtime that is denied to other parties, the BBC assists Reform’s poll rating – an interference in politics that goes against its chartered responsibility.
This country deserves fair, proportional and balanced journalism. Currently the BBC is required by its regulator to deliver this in the regulated period: the election seasons where state broadcasters are required to give proportionate coverage to political parties, based on their parliamentary heft. Our petition sets out proposals for an extension of this regulation, to year-round – a plan that would give the electorate the respect it deserves by consistently providing fair coverage across the political spectrum.
I urge you to consider our proposal.
Yours sincerely
Max Wilkinson MP
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport
The National is not the only media outlet to notice the disproportionate airtime Farage receives. Middle East Eye has also noticed the disparity, particularly with regard to Farage’s appearances on the BBC’s Question Time topical debate programme. It states:
As just one example of this systematic effort to force Farage on the country, Jeremy Corbyn has been on BBC Question Time three times in 42 years as an MP. Left-wing MP Zarah Sultana has never been on it. Farage, who was elected an MP only last year, has appeared 38 times.
Ofcom guidance to broadcasters states they must “not give undue prominence to the views and opinions of particular persons or bodies on matters of political or industrial controversy and matters relating to current public policy in all the programmes included in any service taken as a whole“.
It sounds like Auntie is definitely in breach of Ofcome guidelines. However, the rest of the British media also give Farage a very soft ride and seem reluctant to press him on the feasibility of his party’s policies and his own abhorrent opinions.
Indeed, the harshest criticism of Farage in recent times has come from Democrat Senator Jamie Raskin, when Farage skived off doing the job he’s supposed to be doing in parliament to appear before a US congressional hearing on censorship. Mr Raskin did not pull any punches.
The British media ought to take a leaf out of Senator Raskin’s book.