From: "Rich Gauszka" 

and it's not Gary and Mark making this charge 

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23400983-details/BBC+accused+of+inst
itutional+'trendy+left-wing+bias'/article.do

The BBC is out of touch with large swathes of the public and is guity of
self-censoring subjects that the corporation finds unpalatable, an official
report has claimed.

As part of the report's research the BBC's own controller of editorial
policy admitted that people felt that the corporation was guilty of a
"bias of omission" by not covering their views.

Authors of the report called on the corporation to be more
"open-minded" in the views it reflects and warned against
"bias of elimination" which it branded "offensive".

The report noted that the BBC had "come late" to several
important stories in recent years, including Euroscepticism and immigration
, which as it happens, were "off limits" in terms of a
liberal-minded comfort zone".

Research for the 80-page report showed that viewers were
"frustrated" by political correctness at the BBC and feel the
corporation is dominated by a London-centric bias, reflected in its
programmes, presenters and coverage.

The report, which was commissioned by the BBC and written by independent
programme-maker John Bridcut, also warned that if the BBC's viewers did not
feel that the corporation was reflecting their lives and attitudes people
would lose faith in it.

Their review hit out at programme-makers for misjudging where
"cultural mainstream" opinion stood and for wanting to
"swim" against popular opinion.

Staff were told to avoid imposing their own liberal assumptions on the
audience and told to "embrace a broader range of opinion".

In the report, a news and current affairs producer recalled an instance
where he had proposed a Newsnight investigation into the subject of
"abortion on demand" but had been accused of being
"anti-abortion" for even suggesting the idea which was not
pursued.

Roger Mosey, former head of television news at the BBC, now head of sport,
is also quoted as saying the corporation displays "fairly overt
support" for multiculturalism.

He also admitting having some sympathy with claims of a
"liberal/pinko" agenda at times.

He recalled a news item about ethnic communities becoming the majority in
parts of east London, where a reporter had told him that they had
"worked really hard" to find a white resident who was happy with
the situation.

Research in the review also found that even ethnic minorities felt that
political correctness had gone to far and others said it was diluting
comedy and entertainment at the broadcaster and complained of a
"restrictive mind-set".

Authors of the report called for a "periodic reality check" on
shows like The Archers and Casualty as well as news programmes.

The Archers has at times come under fire for losing its rural culture with
increasingly metropolitan storylines.

It suggested that the broadcaster had been late in picking up on
"pavement politics" such as concern over the loss of weekly
rubbish collections and had been "caught on the hop" by the
success of UKIP in the 2004 elections.

It warned of the dangers of an "institutional bias" in favour of
stories generated by parliament rather than stories with populist roots.

The report also urged the BBC not to "close down the debate" on
climate change, despite the corporation admitting that it no longer felt it
necessary to justify equal space being given to opponents of the consensus
on the issue.

The broadcaster's Oscar's coverage also came in for criticism over the
presenters who were "transfixed by the glitz" in an
"impartiality free zone' and called on the BBC to clamp down on its
journalists becoming "opinion merchants ".

It also faced claims of political correctness over Muslim terrorist
suspects who were arrested last summer. One member of the public surveyed
for the report claimed: "I think the BBC is too politically correct.
The BBC were saying '21 men have been arrested' and I thought 'what's
happening?' So I flicked over to Sky and it says '21 Asian men have been
arrested." The report claims that the BBC's editorial advisory
department and its recently formed College of Journalism need an extended
role so that impartiality is addressed much earlier in the production
process.

It claims that impartiality should remain the "hallmark" of the
BBC and said the balanced natureof its reporting was an "essential
part" of the BBC's contract with its audience.

The report singled out hit sitcom The Vicar Of Dibley and a season of
programmes on Africa.

An episode of The Vicar Of Dibley featured Dawn French promoting the Make
Poverty History campaign.

"The implication was that the cause was universal and uncontroversial,
whereas the Make Poverty History website made clear that it had contentious
political goals," the report said.

Nowhere in the episode was it pointed out that the writer Richard Curtis
was himself spearheading the campaign.

The report also quoted a senior BBC executive as saying that impartiality
in the Africa season was "as safe as a blood bank in the hands of
Dracula".

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