The BBC and bias, what's really going on?

Unity seems to be on the ball with this one, as always, doing a brilliant dissection of a Fox News Lite piece on institutional bias in the BBC.

Being the avid Daily Mail watcher that I am, especially the comments section, I had noticed this general trend towards attacking the BBC of late, for its apparent left wing dominance of the media. Lots of American political slogans being thrown around too, "liberal media fascists" enforcing "political correctness" on the masses at the behest of their lords and masters in Downing Street,

Here are some of the more rabid ones, collected from the Daily Mail Watch forums, who are doing a sterling job of highlighting bullshit in the media.

I was a coal miner one of many that voted for Mrs. Thatcher, I never had any regrets. I agree with your take on what has happened to the BBC, it angers me so much. Ideas are more deadly than bombs and the end of this dictatorship of the left in our country will be very bad. When it comes to it these liberals have no guts when it comes to a scrap. Well done to you, this from an ordinary bloke.

- Frederick Mee, Rhyl North Wales

A coal miner who voted for Thatcher, need I say more?

John Major had little opportunity to enjoy his success; within months, Sterling was ejected from the Exchange Rate Mechanism and his Government never recovered.

The BBC mounted a barrage of negative coverage on everything from the NHS to sleaze.

I mean, how dare the media actually report bad news about Our Glorious Leaders? Unless its Maximum Tone, of course. And even then, you can't please everyone, as the next entry proves...

Within the BBC, opinion ran strongly against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Most staff felt war was unjustified; feelings intensified by their contempt for President George Bush.

On Today we occasionally allowed the case for war to be made, but the prevailing tone was doom-laden. Arguing for a better balance was a thankless task: at one meeting I said our coverage was too anti-war; the editor's response was brusque.

Because of course, the public population was so in favour of the war. And Maximum Tone was dead set against it, obviously. Goddamn these sinister leftists, trying to trick us with their different positions!

The BBC in Scotland was deeply antagonistic towards the Conservative Government; our narrative was one of devastating industrial decline and Government heartlessness.

Scotland is deeply antagonistic to the Tories, you sanctimonious little prick. The whole country. Its Labour, SNP and Lib Dems up here, for as far as the eye can see. And of course, under Thatcher's benevolent rule, puppies were handed out to crying children, beer was a penny a pint, crime didn't exist, employment was 100% and inflation hadn't even been invented yet. Right?

Anyway, the Right's attempts at the Fox News-ization of the British media are soon becoming dull. Knowing lots of Americans and taking more than just a passing interest in their politics, the sheer amount of partisan, ill-informed bullshit that passes for news over there is disheartening to see. We can only hope the same does not happen over here.