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How about Some of that
"Impartiality" Over Here?
Part Three of Four By Dave Andrusko One of my favorite maxims is Dr. Johnson's immortal "The prospect of hanging concentrates the mind wonderfully." In contemporary terms that is taken to mean when one's institutional head is on the block, all of sudden you see clearly.
I thought of that when I read a series of stories based on an interview given by the head of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to a "right-of-center" publication, the New Statesman. Director General Mark Thompson confessed to what everyone on the planet already knew: that for years and years the BBC has been guilty of a "massive bias to the Left." Why did I allude to the Dr. Johnson maxim? Because there is a new, more conservative government in power, and the BBC is funded by an annual television license fee. The size of the fee is set by the British Government. What does any of this have to do with us? Couple of things. First, the most interesting line in the interview (portions of which the New Statesman posted on line) is that a little over 30 years ago when Thompson joined the BBC, "'The organisation did struggle then with impartiality. And, journalistically, staff were quite mystified by the early years of [Conservative Prime Minister Margaret] Thatcher." Sound familiar? Even now, in an atmosphere that is not quite as rancorously vindictive toward our Movement, the old-line Main-line media can't figure us out. Who ARE these strange people and WHY would they spend huge chunks of their lives trying to save babies they will never meet? Second, my guess is that had you asked members of the BBC over the past three decades (and probably now, regardless of what Thompson is saying) whether their coverage was "impartial," they would have huffed, and said, of course! So, too, our Media Elite. The problem is their line of sight does not allow them to see everyday citizens who strive to find a solution that benefits both mother and child. One of the promises Thompson made is "we are becoming increasingly tough-minded about the concept of impartiality." He re-emphasize the point by adding that impartiality "is going up and up the agenda." Well, if impartiality is sauce for the British BBC, let's hope it becomes sauce for the American Media Elite gander. Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. Part Four |
