impartiality

Freedom

Freedom of speech;

                Controlled or a right?

Impartiality

                Darkness in the light.

Expressing one’s views,

                Or muzzled and chained?

Free to speak out,

                Or heavily constrained?

Mustn’t show bias

                While delivering a show,

But in your own time

                Can you let it all go?

Opher 11.3.2023

The Gary Lineker outrage has really opened up a can of worms, hasn’t it?

I can see that it might be considered wrong for political broadcasters to display bias (like Fiona Bruce’s pro-Tory hosting of Question Time) but surely bias from others is questionable. Where would satire be? Monty Python, Spitting Image, The News Quiz?

It seems that is OK to express right-wing views but if you say anything anti-government then you are jumped on.

There must also be a difference between what is expressed in a programme or what is expressed outside of work.

Can presenters of any type be expected not to express their feelings on all manner of political subjects in their own time? Or should they be permanently muzzled?

We have had numerous ex-Tory Ministers going through that revolving door into broadcasting. We know what their views are and what they stand for. As long as they don’t express them on air then surely it’s alright?

Then we have the case of Emily Maitlass. She was ousted for expressing a view on Dominic Cummings that was shared by all but the most rabid Tories.

The BBC has been stuffed with Tories. Is it now moving overtly to be nothing more than a propaganda wing of the Tory Party?