Vi Spin - 'fess Up! Junior Bbc News/website Employees And

[Tempest]

Is there any BBC or Labour party HPC reader willing to tell the extent that the BBC in its news reporting is explicitly supporting the housing market and property vested interest against all economic fundamentals, the long term best interests of its readers/listeners, and giving such undue prominence to positive spin on Hps when any potentially favourable data (!) appears?

I am as sure as sure can be that Treasury/No. 11 (perhaps even No. 10) and the various Labour party media monitors are on this all the time. "News management" to prop up GB's tent.

Please, someone from the inside (or their mates) confirm how this is happening.

The integrity of the people at the top of both organisations who do this is pitiful.

[Smell the Fear]

I guess they must all be out for a boozy lunch on Friday afternoons........celebrating the latest M4 numbers.

[Europa]

Is there any BBC or Labour party HPC reader willing to tell the extent that the BBC in its news reporting is explicitly supporting the housing market and property vested interest against all economic fundamentals, the long term best interests of its readers/listeners, and giving such undue prominence to positive spin on Hps when any potentially favourable data (!) appears?

I am as sure as sure can be that Treasury/No. 11 (perhaps even No. 10) and the various Labour party media monitors are on this all the time. "News management" to prop up GB's tent.

Please, someone from the inside (or their mates) confirm how this is happening.

The integrity of the people at the top of both organisations who do this is pitiful.

I am neither a BBC employee nor a member of the labour party, but as a magazine editor I'd like to put my view forward.

There is no conspiracy in the British media to deny you an affordable home - the comments to the contrary are paranoid drivel.

There seems to be a view on this site that the news agenda is entirely dictated by orders from no. 10. It doesn't happen.

The reality is that the majority of people (the 70 per cent who are home owners) believe that rising prices are a good thing. News organisations will continue to reflect this until attitudes change.

[Goat]

Agreed with Europa, there is no mass conspiracy amongst the press to ramp up house prices.

But, never underestimate the power of the press release. The journalists are accurately reporting what they are told, the problem is that the only sources they have are the mortgage banks and similar.

Edit: A quick thought occurs to me. Another part of the problem is that the VI's control the data and therefore the spin.

There are dissenting voices out there but their story always remains the same, prices are going to fall eventually. VI's can release new information every month, playing up meaningless rises in lending figures etc, the VI's generate the news, others can only comment on it, there is an inbuilt disadvantage.

Edited January 20, 2006 by Young Goat

[DonnieDarker]

As someone with fleeting experiences of working in the meeja...once you've actually landed a job as journo what with deadlines and the pressure to fill space you have to regurgitate press releases a lot of the time. It's not ideal but otherwise you simply wont file copy in time. Not every piece can be some investigative, analytical piece worthy of a pullitzer.

I used to write about music and film. I've no shame in admitting sometimes I reviewed something by looking at a press-release. It's common-place.

[geneer]

So, the media says what people want to hear.

Thats all well and good, but is beyond the pale for news outlets.

When profit becomes the motive, truth really is the first victim (look at fox news during the gulf war).

Thank christ for the internet.

[DonnieDarker]

Exactly.

You are best of in many circumstances getting advice/opinion from people whose job is not to dispense it.

Or at least, get a good bullsh*t radar. If you read a particular magainze/paper avidly yuo soon work out who is trustworthy and when they are having to tow partyline or regurgitating press releases because they had no time.

[ruisort7]

So, the media says what people want to hear.

Thats all well and good, but is beyond the pale for news outlets.

When profit becomes the motive, truth really is the first victim (look at fox news during the gulf war).

Thank christ for the internet.

The key is to keep on their case: keep sending letters in to them telling them how appalled you are at the rubbish way they just regurgitate press releases. As has been said, it's not a conspiracy, they're just lazy.

[DonnieDarker]

As has been said, it's not a conspiracy, they're just lazy.

I honestly think you underestimate just how pressured working in the media is.

[ruisort7]

I honestly think you underestimate just how pressured working in the media is.

Ok, sorry. It's not a conspiracy, they're just pressured.

[MarkG]

I honestly think you underestimate just how pressured working in the media is.

Regardless of pressure, regurgitating press releases is just lazy... at a minimum, magazines that do so should admit the 'articles' are just advertising.

Personally I found a simple solution to the problem: I just don't buy newspapers or magazines anymore.

[BoredTrainBuilder]

Thank christ for the internet.

Christ had nothing to do with the internet. He probably didn't exist, but if he did he was nothing but a rabble rouser.

Edited January 20, 2006 by BoredTrainBuilder

[Europa]

Regardless of pressure, regurgitating press releases is just lazy... at a minimum, magazines that do so should admit the 'articles' are just advertising.

Personally I found a simple solution to the problem: I just don't buy newspapers or magazines anymore.

So your solution is to cut yourself off from all sources of news? And please don't assume that internet / television journalism is any more reliable.

[MarkG]

So your solution is to cut yourself off from all sources of news?

It's very rare for some item of 'news' to actually affect my life: most people just like 'news' because it gives them something to talk about and worry about. And anything that is actually going to affect my life I'll hear about very quickly on the Internet.

I mean, seriously: how often in a year does some item of 'news' cause you to make any significant change in your life? Five? Ten? A dozen?

[Mags]

I am neither a BBC employee nor a member of the labour party, but as a magazine editor I'd like to put my view forward.

There is no conspiracy in the British media to deny you an affordable home - the comments to the contrary are paranoid drivel.

There seems to be a view on this site that the news agenda is entirely dictated by orders from no. 10. It doesn't happen.

The reality is that the majority of people (the 70 per cent who are home owners) believe that rising prices are a good thing. News organisations will continue to reflect this until attitudes change.

OK, as a journalist, I'd like to pose a few questions... what magazine do you edit? I'm amazed an editor would write what you have written! I have written for most of the national newspapers and loads of magazines and I often receive commissions that have instructions on which line to take, what view I have to promote and what I can't mention. If this doesn't sit well with me I refuse the work. I'm not sure how anyone who actually works in the media can say that this doesn't happen - it does. It happens all the time, and is often driven by advertising departments rather than editorial teams.

Secondly, news agendas are frequently influenced by directives from on high through the leakage system or the powerful pr machines. It's called politics.

Thirdly, your statement that news organisations will continue to reflect attitudes of people is off the mark imho. The point of a good media outlet is to promote thinking, discussion and debate through careful and intelligent analysis, not simply to reflect what the people are already thinking or talking about in the pub. Ripping off a press notice from a vested interest does not constitute intelligent analysis.

[erranta]

I am neither a BBC employee nor a member of the labour party, but as a magazine editor I'd like to put my view forward.

There is no conspiracy in the British media to deny you an affordable home - the comments to the contrary are paranoid drivel.

There seems to be a view on this site that the news agenda is entirely dictated by orders from no. 10. It doesn't happen.

The reality is that the majority of people (the 70 per cent who are home owners) believe that rising prices are a good thing. News organisations will continue to reflect this until attitudes change.

Deep breath . . . . .

This is how it all works at the BBC -

"HITLER SAID IN 'MEIN KAMPF' THAT

"IF YOU TELL A LIE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROPAGANDA, TELL A BIG ONE!"

The BIGGER the lie is, the more people are apt to believe it, because they can't possibly believe you would dare to tell such a big lie - unless it was the truth!"

[DonnieDarker]

OK, as a journalist, I'd like to pose a few questions... what magazine do you edit? I'm amazed an editor would write what you have written! I have written for most of the national newspapers and loads of magazines and I often receive commissions that have instructions on which line to take, what view I have to promote and what I can't mention. If this doesn't sit well with me I refuse the work. I'm not sure how anyone who actually works in the media can say that this doesn't happen - it does. It happens all the time, and is often driven by advertising departments rather than editorial teams.

Too True.

When I used to write exceptionally bitchy reviews about certain bands or artists I was often told to tone it down a bit or find something positive to say.

If the magazine want an interview with someone then slagging off someone from that intervieweee's label just doesnt happen.

This is especially true of the film press. The amount of Hollywood hokum that gets over-generous reviews is astonishing and the reason is because the director/actors etc. will not do interviews unless the film gets a good review.

That's life.

[BuyingBear]

I am as sure as sure can be that Treasury/No. 11 (perhaps even No. 10) and the various Labour party media monitors are on this all the time. "News management" to prop up GB's tent.

Please, someone from the inside (or their mates) confirm how this is happening.

The integrity of the people at the top of both organisations who do this is pitiful.

Back in the mill bank days they could get into the Beeb computers and monitor the running order for the upcoming news bulletin, some Labour apparatchik would frequently phone up the editor of the 1 o'clock news and have a good moan.

Compensation would come in the form of a splurge in new cash, jobs and approval for new channels, all paid for by nice rises the licence fee many times that of general inflation (which was RPI back then).

I am neither a BBC employee nor a member of the labour party, but as a magazine editor I'd like to put my view forward.

There is no conspiracy in the British media to deny you an affordable home - the comments to the contrary are paranoid drivel.

That's true, it's no exactly overt or orchestrated, it's no different from the complacency and lack of serious thought when everyone believed stock markets only went up and the proliferation of pointless dotcom's was part of a "new era" where the "rules had changed", that's why so many are so suprised and angry when things turn out to be the contrary. Most of the 70% of homeowners see the figures and are unthinking, if they were realistic they'd realise that their next rung up the ladder is ever more further away.

There again, TV center is literally BTL central.

Edited January 20, 2006 by BuyingBear

[geneer]

As has been said, it's not a conspiracy, they're just lazy.

No exclusively. I recall reading about how a news story relating to a kiddy fiddler caught working in disney land was killed.

The ultimate owner of the network - Disney.

Didn't Murdock recently but out an online estate agents?

[DonnieDarker]

There again, TV center is literally BTL central.

It's a house-market onto its own!

You've got all these producers and suits on fatcat salaries with a steady stream of low-paid trainees, interns and 1st jobbers rolling in.

Put it together and what have you got? A self-perpetuating BTL market!

[mhifoe]

This little gem updated at 4:24pm today, just as oil's rising and the SMs are in retreat, sums up the BBC's neutrality a treat IMO...

Energy prices boost US sentiment

Interesting that the BBC choose not to print stories on the PSNCR or oil price rises.

On radio 2 earlier the business bloke said 'It's been a quiet day on the markets, with the FTSE down 20'.

Of course at the markets were a sea of red following Iran's announcement.

[bearfacedcheek]

I've worked as a hack, on and off - some financial. The degree to which some companies try to get journalists hooked on hospitality is quite startling. I once accepted an invite to a sporting event and felt a tinge of guilt afterwards and decided never to accept as much as a coffee and biscuit in future. This attitude did not go down at all well.

There was one company (not connected with housing) who were very persistant and will effectively nobble journalists with as many free Chelsea tickets etc as they can muster. I was rung up by a BBC producer for background on the company and tried to give a balanced view - and was literally laughed at. A month later the prog appeared with a ridiculously pro-company view. The view in the industry was clearly that the BBC had been 'got at'.

Overall, I think it is a combination of laziness, pressure and kickbacks.