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We are pretty used to the usual BBC "audience selection" process, and the internet is full of reports about how people were grilled about their views (and told what they could and could not say) before they were allowed into the Question Time audience. But... last night's election debate had to be one of the most desperate attempts by the BBC to sway public opinion in its history. There are even reports of the BBC paying people's hotel bills out of our licence fees so they could draw on people of suitable views. Both ITV and Sky can have proven they can stage a pretty free debate, but it seems that this is quite beyond the overpaid executives at the BBC. Apart from audience selection bias the BBC have been ordered not to use "the worm" by the House of Lords, who took compelling academic evidence that it's a very powerful tool to warp people's freely held beliefs. Yet, the BBC have ignored this and continue to use it in combination with their careful audience selection. The excuses for this are risible; they run along the lines of we hear what you say, but we know better about providing viewer satisfaction, and it's really just experimental anyway. Maybe you don't feel as strongly about BBC Bias as I do, but the petition site contains many other reasons why we shouldn't be compelled to shell out our hard earned cash to a near state monopoly, and you'll surely find other reasons you can enthusiastically support. Please sign the petition. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/end-the-bbc-licence-fee