My complaint to the BBC regarding Andrew Neil’s interview with Jeremy Corbyn

On the 26^th May I complained about the the obvious bias against Jeremy Corbyn shown by Andrew Neil in the interview that evening.  Here's what I wrote on the complaint form:

Andrew Neil spent approximately 15 minutes of an approximately 27 minute interview fixated on Jeremy Corbyn's past alleged support of the IRA followed by 4 minutes on defence policy which left very little time for the coverage of the vast array of other Labour manifesto policies.  8 minutes of coverage on nationally important election issues is not enough for the electorate to base their decision on or enough for people to base their opinion of Jeremy Corbyn's attitudes to those issues.

Mr Neil spent more time badgering or interrupting Mr Corbyn than letting him answer the questions raised.  In contrast, Mr Neil gave Theresa May a relatively easy ride in his recent interview with the Prime Minister which shows not only extreme bias against Mr Corbyn but also a abject dereliction of his and the BBC's duty to journalistic neutrality.

Mr Neil should be censured and the BBC should reflect on its duty to journalistic neutrality as a publically funded public service broadcaster.

I expected the usual crap response…and the BBC complaints department did not disappoint.

Here’s the full text of the e-mail I received from the BBC regarding my complaint against  Andrew Neil Interview programme on BBC1:

BBC Complaints - Case Number CAS-4389771-VXV641

Dear Mr Cook

Thanks for contacting us.

The Andrew Neil Interviews have provided viewers with the opportunity to see detailed scrutiny of the policies and track record of the party leaders ahead of the General Election. The interviews have been robust and challenging, but have allowed the leaders time to respond in detail to some of the big questions facing their campaign and concerning their ability to lead the country.

Just as Jeremy Corbyn faced difficult questions over defence and security, his spending plans, immigration and his leadership of the party, Theresa May faced difficult questions over social care, the winter fuel allowance, her government’s failure to meet its promises on immigration and the deficit, and her ability to account for spending promises on public services. In both tone and content, Andrew’s treatment of Mr Corbyn was fair, respectful and entirely consistent with his treatment of the other leaders in this series. He will continue to apply the same level of scrutiny to all his interviews.

Thanks again for contacting us.

Kind Regards

BBC Complaints Team
www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

This is total crap as Andrew Neil didn’t give Theresa May half as hard a ride in her interview as he gave Corbyn in his.  I can say this as someone who likes Corbyn but doesn’t love him as much as some of the Labour members/supporters do.  There are some things that disappoint me about Corbyn and some views that we will potentially disagree on.  I’m also a strong advocate for a non-partisan political structure to our Parliament which would put me at odds with many Left-wingers and Right-wingers alike.

This is another attempt by the BBC to look politically neutral despite the fact that many of their senior current affairs presenters, reporters and editorial staff are, in fact, Conservative Party supporters and have voiced very anti-Labour sentiments (for one example, see the photo below)

 

With so many Tories in high-ranking and/or high-visibility roles in the BBC (see the photo below), can they really be unbiased in their interviewing and news coverage?

Even with the best will in the world many people’s political views leech into their discussions and the members of the media are no different.  Perhaps media outlets need to employ people of different political beliefs based on a quota system that needs to reflect the range of political views in the general population.  This would, of course, mean that people on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale need to have access to free education so that they may reach the educational level to access such careers.

Feel free to use the case number above to refer to if you’d like to make further complaints.

UK cult movie fans are seriously being let down by the home entertainment companies

I am a great fan of the Phantasm movies so I have been looking forward to the release of the final movie in the series, Phantasm: Ravager, especially as it the last movie of Tall Man actor Angus Scrimm who died during the post-production process.

I was scanning a magazine when I noticed that a new box set was being released containing all five movies so I thought I’d go along to my local HMV store to see when it was due for release and how much the DVD of Phantasm: Ravager costs.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the complete movie series box set on the shelf but couldn’t find the individual release of the movie.  Upon making enquiries, I found that not only is Phantasm: Ravager not available on its own but that the box set is only available on Blu-Ray.  This is a serious problem for those of us who don’t have Blu-Ray players or the money to buy one and fans of the Phantasm series who may have the first four movies already and are unwilling (due to the cost of a box set containing four movies they’ve already got) or unable to buy the box set (because they don’t have the relevant player or the money to purchase the set).

Below is the text of an e-mail conversation I have started with the Customer Service department at Arrow Films who have released this new box set.  It gives more detail to my arguments that would be pointless to repeat here in this introductory section.

Subject: Phantasm V: Ravager

Could you tell me if Phantasm V: Ravager will be available separately and in the DVD format?  I only ask as I am a fan of the series and would like to complete the story arc (I already have the first four films) and only have a DVD cinema system and no money to purchase a Blu-Ray player.  I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation.

Regards,

Myles Cook

Hi Myles,

Thank you for your email. There’s nothing confirmed on this at the moment as we’re concentrating on the Limited Edition release but it could be a possibility further down the line.

Kind regards,

Anthony Newcomb

Customer Service Supervisor

Hi Anthony,

Surely a release of the fifth film on its own as the box set of the series came out would follow the market lead of individual releases of films with its inclusion in a box set?  I understand that your company didn't release the previous films (or at least not to my knowledge) but an individual release for this film would increase your sales amongst the people who have already got the previous films in the series and who are unwilling or unable to purchase an expensive box set (especially as the box set seems to be only available in Blu-Ray which is a platform that not everyone has yet due to the expense of Blu-Ray players).  An individual release of this film would be a sound marketing move on Arrow Films' part and to make it available on DVD (which is still the dominant platform with regards to sales) would likewise be a sound move.

I have noticed that there are many films being released by your company on Blu-Ray only, some of them are films I would willingly purchase despite already having them already because I admire Arrow's loving attention to its releases; however, by only releasing some movies in Blu-Ray format, you risk alienating some of your most ardent supporters who only have DVD systems and reducing your profitability by ignoring the presently dominant platform with regards to sales.

I really am on Arrow's side because of your genuine respect for the films you release.  I just wish your respect extended to your customers and their needs.

Regards,

Myles Cook

I will post any further interactions on this blog as they happen.