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Thursday 6 February 2014

BBC moderation

The journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown recently wrote that “The BBC [that's the British Broadcasting Corporation. You know, the TV people. It's publicly-funded but supposed to be independent] has a duty to moderate our national conversation”.

Moderate our national conversation...right. So what does that mean, then?

Well, moderate means to monitor what's being said and then to cut out bad language and (as it says in my Collins dictionary) "inappropriate content".

Bad language I get. But what's inappropriate content?

Does it mean they shouldn't be letting any old lunatic go on the TV to have a rant?

And, if so, which of us are the lunatics?

How do you tell?

Who's to say?

No, really, this is important: who's to say?

I suppose the BBC has a duty a) to remain within the law, and b) to refrain from encouraging illegality.

I suppose as well that on the whole the BBC has a duty to avoid being one-sided. Well, mostly.

Look, do you know something? It's all very well for Ms Alibhai-Brown to tell people their duty, but this is difficult. Really difficult.

In fact it's almost enough to make me wish I was a good old immoderate bigot.

Hwoof.

Word To Use Today: moderate. This word comes from the Latin moderārī, to restrain.

6 comments:

  1. Yeah, I'm with you.
    The comment from Yasmin Alibhai Brown is up there as being one of the most ludicrous comments I have heard from a journalist!
    You give her what for!

    Hwoof!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jingles. I thought this comment illustrated rather neatly the way 'liberal' commentators seem to think it's wicked to allow anyone to give air to opinions with which they don't agree.
      I think a good old argument is the best way at revealing the truth, myself.

      Delete
    2. Agreed!
      Imagine if everybody had the same opinion?!

      Hwoof!

      Delete
    3. I've just discovered that I quite like people agreeing with me, too.
      Thanks, Jingles.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. And can we ALL be wrong??
      Yep!
      Still, all we can do is our best.

      Delete

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