BBC unfair?

The BBC are a one-eyed bunch of left wingnut clowns who have lost all credibility. Worse though, they are parasites, demanding unearned income with threat of fines and inprisonment. Disband them and sell the bits to real corporations.

So says one commentator on the news that the BBC has apologised to a local council after it complained about a One Show report on the travellers' site at Dale Farm. A BBC report said that the programme had ‘failed to clarify that the site had been developed on green belt land’

It also said it had been ‘unfair’ to the council in allowing a traveller to allege the local authority was ‘throwing us out on the road’ with ‘nowhere to go’ without giving it a right of reply. The committee also found a studio discussion between presenters Matt Baker and Alex Jones and actor Neil Morrissey, who was a guest on the show, created an ‘overall impression’ that was ‘unfair’ to the council.

The report went on to say that Morrissey, who speculated whether the land had been ‘earmarked for development’, had ‘been placed in a very difficult position’ when he was asked to comment.

A BBC spokeswoman said: 'We note the findings of the ESC bulletin, which we have taken very seriously. 'Moving forward, The One Show has reviewed and will continue to strengthen its editorial procedures to ensure accuracy, fairness and due impartiality on all the programme's output.' In response Tony Ball, Leader of the Council, said:

'We are satisfied with the findings. 'The site clearance of Dale Farm has always been about the protection of the green belt, but this was not accurately portrayed by The One Show report, nor the fact that we had made several offers of housing to traveller families.

'Since we made the complaint, these key facts have been more accurately
broadcast, helping to aid the public understanding of what the whole issue
was about.'

The six-acre site in Crays Hill was cleared earlier this year following a decade-long row over unauthorised plots. Tensions centred over 51 plots which had been created on green belt land not authorised for development.