BBC Engages in Activism

[RandFan]

BBC sends hecklers to bait Howard

The BBC was last night plunged into a damaging general election row after it admitted equipping three hecklers with microphones and sending them into a campaign meeting addressed by Michael Howard, the Conservative leader.

hecklers, who were given the microphones by producers, were caught at a party event in the North West last week. Guy Black, the party's head of communications, wrote in a letter to Helen Boaden, the BBC's director of news, that the hecklers began shouting slogans that were "distracting and clearly hostile to the Conservative Party".

 

[Mycroft]

Wow. You're supposed to report the news, not manufacture it. That's a hard-core breech of ethics.

 

[Baker]

The Sunday Telegraph says the Tories accused the BBC of "serious misconduct" after producers equipped hecklers with radio microphones.

But the corporation said it was making a legitimate programme on the history and art of political heckling.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4477901.stm

There doesn't seem to be an explanation on why they picked a Conservative party meeting instead the Labor party for there history and art of political heckling story.

 

[Kerberos]

There doesn't seem to be an explanation on why they picked a Conservative party meeting instead the Labor party for there history and art of political heckling story.

They flipped a coin.

 

[Baker]

They flipped a coin.

Are perhaps they just picked Michael Howard's name out of a hat full of names of every British politician.

 

[Kerberos]

Are perhaps they just picked Michael Howard's name out of a hat full of names of every British politician.

How did you know? It's suposed to be a secret.

 

[aerocontrols]

How outrageous.

 

[Reginald]

It could be argued that it's making the news in the same way as an undercover reporter who gets past various security checks at some vital installation and then makes a documentary about the lack of security.

It could be argued, but I'm not going to.


The BBC can get silly now and then. Knowing when it's being silly is half the art.

 

[DaChew]

I'm doing a report on the history and art of censorship. I'd like the British government to shut down the BBC for a period of time so that I can gather information on the effects.

 

[asthmatic camel]

It's no great secret that the BBC is mostly run and staffed by left wingers, but they generally do their best to be impartial. This story, if true, stinks and those responsible should be sacked immediately.

 

[Cleon]

It's no great secret that the BBC is mostly run and staffed by left wingers, but they generally do their best to be impartial. This story, if true, stinks and those responsible should be sacked immediately.

As long as they don't cancel Doctor Who.