BBC biased or incompetent?

I watched Andrew Marr yesterday morning and he obviously finds it very hard to conceal his dislike of Tory politicians. He asked Keir Starmer several sharp questions but did not pursue him as he evaded them; with Michael Gove he constantly interrupted and 'chuntered' whilst he was speaking. I complained when he conducted a particularly obstructive interview with Boris Johnson a few years ago, and did receive a long letter explaining interviewing techniques and containing an apology. When I hear politicians being interviewed I want to hear what they say, not the interviewer's thoughts; I can form my own opinion of the politician's techniques for evading straight answers.

Michael Gove is an unprincipled liar who declared that proroguing parliament would be a totally undemocratic act and days later was backing it.

In the interview with Marr he was refusing to clarify that the government would be bound by the Rule of Law. Of course he got a hard time when he was being evasive. Journalists are supposed to probe for the truth, not roll over and accept any old thing that they're told.

Varian, I just hate someone who interviews in such a biased and aggressive way and makes his feelings about his interviewee so blatantly obvious. It was not possible for the audience to hear a reply and that's just not fair. By contrast he was so polite to Nicola Sturgeon and some of the others. The difference in his approach was wrong on all counts.

I've never noticed the Brexit Broadcasting Corporation being biased against Farage. After all in the years before the fraudulent referendum, he was invited onto QT no less than 29 times!!!

The only other MEP invited was extreme brexit Tory Daniel Hannan. No other Tories, NO Labour, No Liberal Democrats, No SNP, NO Green MEPS , just Farage 29 times and Hannan once.

The Brexit Broadcasting Corporation just love Farage. Perhaps the Farage fans have got so used to the BBC's fawning attitude that someone asking him some searching questions took them by surprise.

Change the record Varian.

Chestnut yes, me too, interviewers like the odious Evan Davis give anyone who isn’t left wing a hard time, and why do they imagine anyone is remotely interested in his own views anyway?
It seems to be a recent thing, as many interviewers are now doing this, sneering, interrupting and not allowing their guests to speak.They are idiots, as it just turns viewers off.

I totally agree with you Lemon, my DH and I have often made the same observations as you mention, when we’re watching news/discussion programmes. It’s annoying, newscasters and political interviewers are supposed to be impartial, and draw out the interviewees opinions by careful questioning. The audience is supposed to draw their own conclusions. There is an insidious attempt to brainwash the population by a large number of interviewers and it makes me cross.

James O'Brien tweets-

"We’ve had ludicrously biased newspapers & incompetent, preening politicians for ever. All of the current mess - every grinding, stupid step of it - can be traced back to broadcasters letting liars, spivs & pantomime toffs spout their rubbish unchallenged because ‘balance’."

I don't care what political party an interviewee is from, I want to hear what they have to say, not to be continually interrupted by the interviewer.

I expect the interviewer to ask tough questions but equally I expect them to allow those questions to be answered

What does annoy me is when politicians make totally untrue statements which are then not picked up on by the interviewer. Thankfully, in the Ch 4 debate last night John Redwood was questioned about advising people to invest outside of the UK [which he then denied]. And when asked about his views on deselecting MP's refused to comment.

Channel 4 is more honest and balanced, and more prepared to challenge the lying politicians than the Brexit Broadcasting Corporation have ever been.

www.thedrum.com/news/2019/08/21/channel-4-s-dorothy-byrne-tv-needs-reinvent-itself