UKIP Wales Leader files complaint against BBC programme for "anti-Brexit bias"
Published Mar 20, 2018
UKIP Wales Leader Neil Hamilton has written a complaint to the BBC and Ofcom about a segment of the BBC Radio 4 programme The World at One. The UKIP Wales Leader criticised the “anti-Brexit bias” of the programme.
The segment, broadcast on Monday 19 March involved BBC journalist Tomos Morgan asking children from Pontybrenin Primary School near Gorseinon about their views on Brexit.
The segment, broadcast on Monday 19 March involved BBC journalist Tomos Morgan asking children from Pontybrenin Primary School near Gorseinon about their views on Brexit.
The complaint in full:
"I am writing to complain about the segment on the World at One which involved Wales correspondent Tomos Morgan asking children from Pontybrenin Primary School near Gorseinon about their views on Brexit.
"I am writing to complain about the segment on the World at One which involved Wales correspondent Tomos Morgan asking children from Pontybrenin Primary School near Gorseinon about their views on Brexit.
The segment was completely biased and absurd. Every child who featured on the programme was anti-Brexit and the segment lacked any form of political balance.
The interviewer, Tomos Morgan, failed to question any of the patently childish answers given to him. If the BBC’s role is to educate, then all this segment did is prove how ridiculous it is to pose high-level political questions to nine-year-olds. It was a mawkish puff piece, playing on the emotions of the listener in order to support the Remainer narrative that the nasty Brexiteers are stopping our children from being able to play with their friends from abroad.
According to a Brexit survey by TES in 2016, 75% of teachers supported remaining in the EU. Given this fact, the dangers of bias and indoctrination in the classroom are high, even if done unconsciously. There was no mention of these studies in the reporting or any angle of criticism for the proposals.
What is the BBC doing to challenge the Welsh Government’s plans to question children as young as seven about their views on Brexit? The journalist should have asked Children's Minister Huw Irranca-Davies about this policy and presented a balance of arguments for him to answer. By asking children questions about Brexit, the BBC is tacitly supporting the policy of the Welsh Government while providing no arguments against it. The programme demonstrates an abject failure to support the BBC’s editorial guidelines on due impartiality."
