BBC Anti Plastic Bias Part II

Posted on 08 Jul 2020

For those following the saga of our attempts to get the BBC to change its anti-plastic bias, the following is the reply from the BBC Complaints Team in response to my letter of complaint to Lord Hall regarding the consistent anti plastic bias at the BBC.

Ref: CAS-6203755-X3Q8C8

Dear Barry Twigg,

Thank you for contacting us, having viewed BBC News at Ten on 24^th June.

We know not everyone is going to agree with our choices of which stories to cover. Our news editors make these complex decisions, based on the editorial merit of all the material at hand, but this is not indictive of bias.

BBC News has also covered positive stories for the plastic industry, where biodegradable alternatives have been developed, or companies offer solutions to an environmental problem.

We hope this reply helps to allay your concern and we’d like to thank you for getting in touch.

Kind regards,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Deborah Dawson                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  BBC Complaints Team                                                                                                                                                                                       www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

Our Thoughts

Not only have the Complaints Team failed to give any credible response to the original complaint, but they also fail to see the irony of the response they offer. Namely, that BBC News editorial staff select the items presented ‘based on editorial merit’.

Thus, at a time of worldwide support and for B.L.M, a near riot in Brixton with 22 police officers injured merits only 40 seconds of their peak time news programme, whilst waste plastic being burned in Turkey warrants 3 minutes 50 seconds, including interviews with locals, asking for their views!! The Complaints Team then add insult to injury claiming that their promotion of replacement of plastic with biodegradable alternatives is somehow a positive endorsement of plastic.

It would be difficult to compose a more arrogant or ignorant reply. In summary, we do not need to explain, and we don’t understand the difference between plastic and the alternative materials.

Obviously, the original letter did not reach Lord Hall, nor have we had any response from Oliver Dowden, the minister allegedly responsible for the media, or Lord Hall at the BBC. Therefore, we will try contacting Lord Hall and the House of Lords and also ask our local MP, Tony Perkins (Labour), if he can elicit a response from either, or both.

Wish us luck!

As always, your views on any of the items raised would be most welcome and why not join me on LinkedIn for more regular conversations. https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-twigg-3a440b53/

#DontHatePlastic