Is The Coalition Forming A Coalition?

[threegee]

We've now had the frank - but long overdue - admission from the BBC that it was "massively biased" in some of its political coverage.

http://www.telegraph...k-Thompson.html

But is this simply a step on the path to cosying up the the present government? Secret talks on how to break the bad news about real extent of the cuts to the great British public would seem to indicate this.

http://www.telegraph...g-the-cuts.html

If the BBC is entirely independent of the government, as we've always been told, why shouldn't we be allowed to examine what is being discussed? It is after all our newly *elected* heads of government who are discussing what the BBC should be allowed to charge US, and what portion of that Mr Thompson can hold on to.

But hang on, I've misunderstood; that's not what these secret talks are about at all! They are apparently about how the government cuts can be sold to us in a gentle manner. So should these discussions even be taking place at all? Unless, of course, they are really about the aforementioned "what the BBC should be allowed to charge US, and what portion of that Mr Thompson can hold on to". The overwhelming likelihood is that the two matters are mutually dependant, and we really can't be privileged to know any of the dirty details. So, once again, the ongoing myth of the Beeb's total independence hits the buffers of political reality.

[Malcolm Robinson]

GGG,

Could be argued that any media's responsibility in this context is to report on actions and when these actions are unpopular then they must reflect that bias? You can polish a turd as much as you like……… It also has to give airing to the counter argument of course in an effort to present an even case for viewers to make their own minds up. For many years now the media, or at least certain sections of it, have been performing the role of the ''official opposition'' to governments of all colours and in many cases thanks heavens or we wouldn't have learnt about some of the stuff like the expenses scandal etc.

If government is trying to coerce a section of the media then we are back to fluff and spin again with image consultants the real king makers. Far better to get on with the manifesto pledges and let the end results justify your election or the whole thing undermines our democracy.

I can understand why this whole PR exercise might be needed because we are living in La La Land at the moment and the real impacts onto everyone's life will start next month.