What colour is Betsan Powys?
Thursday, February 08, 2007
The personal is political; so goes the well-known phrase. But when the person is a political journalist, how important is it for us to know which party they secretly admire?
Not very, some would say, providing their reporting is accurate and fair. Problem is, journalists are humans and they'll never be able to completely hide their own beliefs and prejudices. And anyway, journalists do a lot more than talking to camera.
Day in day out they'll be communicating with party sources and politicians. In these situations, a journalist's political colours are imperative. Party bigwigs can often be heard muttering 'well that's because X is Labour/Plaid/Tory through and through' as unsympathetic broadcasts go to air. When X comes calling again the next week, he or she might not find sources quite so co-operative.
So, perhaps they should all come clean - tell us what they believe in and we can offset that against their journalism? Or do they already do a good job at putting their dogma on the ideological back burner? How many complaints are there, for instance, against the unashamedly Tory Nick Robinson?
For the record, my own politics are simple: I dislike undemocratic privilege in all its forms. And I abhor short-sighted political decisions that result in suffering, death or oppression elsewhere. I believe the world is a far too fractured place and that more should be done to emphasise what brings us together rather than what sets us apart. I feel no bond to anyone in particular - whichever party best serves these beliefs will get my vote.
Our political reporters will have a key role to play between now and May's elections. Can they possibly be whiter than white the whole time, or will the ideological undercoat inevitably begin to seep through?
Labels: Betsan Powys, bias, ethics, Journalism, Nick Robinson, politics
posted by Blamerbell @ 9:39 am,
14 Comments:
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At 1:31 pm,
said...
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I've noticed that the Tories do a particularly good job in buttering up young Beeb journalists down the Bay... a few pints here, a few curries there and soon the Welsh-speaking young journos from west and north wales are gushing about the tory 'lads'... i've lost count how many times i've woken to hear Alun Cairns orating on radio cymru...
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At 1:45 pm,
Blamerbell said...
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I hope you're not suggesting BBC journos are giving Welsh speaking Tories preferential treatment.
Finding eloquent politicians to speak in Welsh at six in the morning isn't exactly easy.
By the way, I love curry and beer, so feel free to butter me up:) -
At 2:18 pm,
said...
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everyone likes curry and beer!
if and when you're in a position to put them on the radio, i'm sure the Tories will make sure you get plenty of refreshments... -
At 2:30 pm,
said...
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Why the provocative headline about Betsan Powys with no mention of her in the copy?
I thought we were in for a revelation about her membership of Cardiff Central, Canton ward Labour management committee. -
At 2:44 pm,
said...
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...and i thought we were going to learn her fake tan secrets. titillating.
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At 4:53 pm,
said...
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Surely the canton ward is in Cardiff West? Who cares what the political affliations of the journalists are no one watches the programmes.
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At 8:20 pm,
said...
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Just testing - god, there's some anoraks here tonight ;-)
What is the television metaphor for tomorrow's chip wrappings? -
At 8:36 am,
said...
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If you think Tory bias on TV is bad, you should see the unashamedly Plaid Cymru bias of the Daily Post in North Wales.
If Dafydd Wigley changes his underpants, then there is a major article with a picture of the 'great stateman' on page 2, probably saying how he will save the Welsh economy single-handedly.
How many more articles can the Daily Post carry on an individual who, regardless of his political past, is only a regional candidate and one, given his own party's forecasts, unlikely to be elected.
Then there is their columnist Ian 'Fortress Gwynedd' Parri whose comments make Cymuned seem like UKIP.
Anti-english, anti-assembly and anti-anything that does not fit in with his narrow minded view of the world.
The bias within the Daily Post is probably due to the Nationalist leanings of their reporters, not their english speaking editor, but such blatant propaganda from the only daily North Wales newspaper makes uncomfortable reading for the majority of people in the region. -
At 10:06 am,
said...
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Your comments are a bit self-righteous blamerbell. As if other journos are not quite as objective as someone who blogs anonymously but isn't accountable for anything he's said.
From what I have read - you'll make a story about anything when it comes to having a go at plaid, but give the Lib-dems in particular an easy time... When everyone knows that the Libs are the most opportunistic party in the UK when it comes to local political gain. -
At 10:29 am,
said...
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Well, I know of one Plaid candidate who's guaranteed an easy time on this blog. Think of the surnames, Peter Black... ;-)
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At 7:35 pm,
said...
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Re The Daily Post
Are we reading the same paper? Sure Ian Parri gives the nationalist point of view as a columnist (when he isn't feeding his face or boozing) but Ivor Wynne-Jones's British Conservatism is more than a balance. Somewhere in the middle is David Banks, the Tyneside-based "expert" on Welsh affairs.
I think the paper re-positioned itself some years ago when it realised that its readers were mainly Welsh-speaking and nationalist minded (who would be more inclined to buy a Welsh paper of course).
Wigley doesn't get any more coverage than any current AM or MP.
As for the nationalist leanings of the reporters - apart from Crump I really think you've got it completely wrong. -
At 10:26 pm,
Blamerbell said...
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"As if other journos are not quite as objective as someone who blogs anonymously but isn't accountable for anything he's said."
Don't you know who I am!
A simple google search will reveal all. No secrets here.
"From what I have read - you'll make a story about anything when it comes to having a go at plaid, but give the Lib-dems in particular an easy time..."
But Plaid produce so much great material.
I try to be as balanced as possible. Plaid have been instrumental recently on Iraq and cash for peerages while the Lib Dems have been invisible. That's a fact and a point I've made on many occasions. -
At 2:41 pm,
Banksy said...
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Good afternoon, and just a little FYI to Seren.
I'm North Yorkshire-based, not Tyneside based.
And I would be grateful if you could point me in the direction of a column where I claimed to be 'expert' on boiling an egg, never mind Welsh affairs.
Odd that, that those who apparently take a dim view of my views comment on where I'm writing them from, rather than what I've written. And they make much of my living outside Wales for about five years, ignoring the previous 37 I lived there. Ho hum.
And while we're discussing the political leanings of the DP writers, you might like to know that at one time or another Plaid, the Tories and Labour have all accused me of having a foot in their opponents' camps. -
At 2:50 am,
said...
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If you think Tory bias on TV is bad, you should see the unashamedly Plaid Cymru bias of the Daily Post in North Wales.
I can't believe there's actually someone in the world capable of reading who would make such a ludicrous claim. If it was even remotely Plaid-biased I'd buy the bloody thing.
If Dafydd Wigley changes his underpants, then there is a major article with a picture of the 'great stateman' on page 2,
So North Walians aren't allowed to pay attention to their own statesmen or what?
such blatant propaganda from the only daily North Wales newspaper makes uncomfortable reading for the majority of people in the region.
Only to delirious morons like yourself. Did they turn down your job application or what? And comparing Cymuned to UKIP only goes to show what a complete and utter fuckwit you really are.
