Have a look at the images below.
Consider that at the end of the first week of election campaigning for the 2011 Holyrood election, during which we witnessed the first televised 'leaders' debate, it has been universally perceived that Iain Gray, the Labour Party candidate for First Minister, has had a disasterous week.
There is talk of deep schisms within the Labour party. Labour MP's and MSP's are briefing our media on the negative effect Mr Gray is having on the Labour Party's electoral chances. Ed Milliband has had to fly in one of his assistants to help bolster his regional parties support. The opportunistic Sun newspaper openly ridiculed Gray for his performance in the televised debate, highlighting the fact that 87% of respondents believed that Alex Salmond gave, by far, the most commanding performance. The polls saw the SNP take the lead for the first time.
Now take another look at the photo from BBC Scotland's online news page.
Is it fair to say that we have three party leaders here and one deputy leader? Why is there no photograph of the Alex Salmond who is standing for post of First Minister? Do BBC Scotland not have a photograph of Alex Salmond? If they do have a photograph of him, why have they chosen not to use it?
Look at the photograph again, let's go counter clockwise.
Is it fair to say that Nicola Sturgeon looks pensive in the photograph, particularly in the week when her management of the Scottish Health sector saw the abolition of prescription fees?
Similarly, is it fair to say that Tavish Scott has the concerned look of a man who only received 2% support in a poll on the person favoured to be next First Minister?
Does Annabel Goldie look fraught with worry at the end of a week when her jolly hockey sticks sensible persona has seen her win renewed respect from political correspondents?
Now take a long hard look at Iain Gray. He's smiling. I'll repeat that again. Iain Gray is smiling.
Political anoraks who watch FMQ's diligently each Thursday know that a smiling Iain Gray is as rare as a guaranteed Scottish summer.
This is a man without troubles to seek, he's flip flopped on four years of relentless negativity opposing nigh on everything the Scottish Government have attempted to legislate.
Yet here he is smiling. Smiling suggests confidence, assurity, a winner.
Why is Iain Gray smiling? Has he suddenly become credible?
BBC Scotland are by their very constitution tied to the continuation of Union. They are supposed to be the last bastion of freedom of speech, their doctrine is apolitical, they are bound by rules of impartiality.
Yet someone in our very own state broadcaster, in their shiny but ever so dysfunctional building decided that these photographs are merely reportage.
Was it Atholl Duncan Head of News and Current Affairs who believes that the veteran host of his flagship news programme can ridicule the First Minister in an avowedly Labour supporting newspaper and continue to be seen as impartial?
Or maybe the unnamed state reporter ran the photo selection and copy by the keen eyes of Alasdair MacLeod, BBC Scotland's head of Editorial Standards and Compliance.
Either way, any complaints of subtle propaganda by our state broadcaster are always met with complete denial and infantile excuses. As anyone who has ever read the non blethering with Brian 'blog' knows, complaints are never justified.
Let me repeat again.
Sturgeon not standing as First Minister - Pensive.
Scott- Concerned.
Goldie -Fraught.
Gray - Credible.
Aye right.
Posts
8 comments:
Strange Alex Salmonds commands 87% of the vote in the leaders debate yet BBC Scotland refuses to put his photo alongside the other party leaders!
I have never seen Iain Grey smile so his photo has to be staged manged, presumably Kirsty Wark did his make up for him?
Well at least BBC Scotland have not hidden who they back for First Minister. Think I might withhold my licence Fee!!
Aren't we all used to this?
I know there is a serious issue in relation to the lack of balance in political coverage, not just on the part of the BBC, but the mainstream media in general.
Although the BBC are particularly culpable being publicly funded as they are with a duty to be balanced.
But still.....sometimes I think the sheer in yer face blatant bias of the media, using those grotesque pictures of Salmond, always using pictures of Nicola which play down how dainty she is as that could look attractive, actually work in the SNP's favour.
The whole Alex Salmond ate my hamster routine confirms the SNP's underdog status & that benefits them on the whole. They are an anti-establishment party, so can we expect the established media to give them a fair crack of the whip?
Remember the tabloid headlines in 2007? The noose? Didn't really work did it.
I think the media need to be more subtle if subliminal messaging is going to work. As it is, although there are serious issues involved, it's laughable.
Nicola Sturgeon still looks the most capable of the four. Still that's no big deal really.
Been enjoying the blog recently Mark.
'Remember the tabloid headlines in 2007? The noose? Didn't really work did it.'
Hi Observer, yep, it's on this here blog somewhere. Imagine if it had worked. The SNP won by the skin of their teeth the last time, can you imagine what state we'd have been in after yet another four years of Wee Jack and the best wee country in the world mentality?
I think the majority of those thinking types living in Scotland see through the inherent bias. That doesn't mean we have to accept it, particularly when it's as blatant as this.
Cheers Rab.
Observer - the problme is that we have all "become used to this", Indeed, I think within BBC Scotland there are few overt partisans, It is just they hav all been brougt up a particuar way, Nats ( and Tories ) "poltical extremes" are by definition wrong, And the BBC in Scotland in particular inteprets its secrch for "balance" as supprt for the soggy centre - and you dont get much soggier that Labour under Gray.
But Mark's presice analyis of one pictutre is pecisley what we do need. And on a sustained basis. Not accepting it, but challening it in a clear and convincing way.
And 100 times better that the paranoid rantings of cyber nat conspiracry theorists - who seen to incabable of liberating their own minds. let alone Scotland.
Good stuff mark. And you will neverever get an apology or an exlanation for this four pick montage. But you can be nea certain Athol Duncan will kick the ass of the juvinile ( Nulab card carrier) who Mark has just caugt with his pants down and looking for lavy paper.
They dont like it up em. But only when it is precise like this And the photo montage trick wont be repeated - this campaign anyway. But because Mark did accept it, dint just accept this is the way thing are Scotland's most most influencial media outlet by quite some way
If you check the site again, you'll see that they've changed the pictures! All smiles now and it's Eck's picture (although the SNP have been demoted position-wise)! I can rarely be bothered to write to anyone and complain, simply because you usually get some kind of bland, corporate whitewash for an answer. This one stuck out so badly, however, that I sent a Beeb a real blisterer. I can only assume that so many others did the same that we effected this change. We should all keep it up, as I'm sure there'll be more occasions when the less-than-subliminal bias of the Beeb shows through!
Cheers Bobelix, I noticed it yesterday and blogged accordingly.
We just have to keep banging on the door to let them know that we're onto their subtle ways.
I'm still waiting on a response from Audience Council Scotland. This would nevr have happened in the days of the Rev Norman Drummond when he headed up the Board of Governors.
http://the-universality-of-cheese.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-difference-day-makes.html
Post a Comment