Frances Rabbitts reviews ‘The Noble Liar’ by Robin Aitken (Biteback Publishing, 2018).

If you have ever been irritated, confused or upset by the blatant liberal bias of our national broadcasting network, this book is for you. Written by an ex-BBC journalist and executive who spent 25 years at the Corporation, The Noble Liar exposes the BBC’s ingrained ideological slant, taking its cue from Plato’s concept of a ‘noble lie’: a myth told knowingly by those in power for what they perceive to be the greater good, and/or to further their own particular agendas.

Accessible, punchy and full of up-to-date examples (some well-known, some less so), this is an easy read and a personable, non-academic contribution to the growing reaction against the left-wing hegemony suffocating the British media class.

Naked Bias

From Brexit to Trump, Aitken unpacks obvious examples of naked bias in BBC coverage, backed up by research, statistics and quotes. He then delves into history to understand the reasons, both sociological and ideological, behind it.

As he makes his way through decades of ‘noble lies’ perpetuated by the BBC – surrounding subjects including feminism, abortion, multiculturalism and immigration – what emerges is not a conspiracy theory about evil masterminds seeking to indoctrinate the British population, but a picture of a Corporation overwhelmingly staffed by sincere liberal ‘believers’, acting in what they think is the public interest and genuinely blinkered to the possibility that they might be wrong.

What is refreshing about Aitken’s writing is that he provides a working example of what BBC reporters should be – accurate and fair-minded, impartial and honest, not imposing his own beliefs on his work. In fact, having read the book I am none the wiser as to his own opinions on any of the issues he covers – only that he tends towards conservatism, recognises that the BBC is chronically slanted in the opposite direction and wants to understand why.

Aitken provides a working example of what BBC reporters should be – accurate and fair-minded, impartial and honest, not imposing his own beliefs on his work.

Like Melanie Phillips, Aitken traces the origin of the issue to the left-wing’s reactionary hatred of Britain’s Judeo-Christian heritage – a hatred which increasingly unites even the most disparate of causes and victim groups. Aitken is brave enough to acknowledge that Christianity is the real foundation of everything that was once ‘great’ about Britain (including the BBC), and that no framework has yet been found to equal or replace it as the foundation of Britain’s national identity.

Meanwhile, still enjoying levels of cultural influence and public respect and a reputation for journalistic excellence that no other media group can command, ‘Auntie the apostate’ has despised her own heritage and is busy evangelising the masses with a new gospel:

The BBC is not some virtual mirror that society holds up and sees itself reflected back; a mirror changes nothing – it merely shows us what we look like. The BBC far more resembles a preacher; a good preacher does hold up a mirror to people and says, ‘Look, this is who you are’, but…then goes on to say ‘And this is what you should be’…it is the BBC’s role as preacher that we need to be aware of and closely examine. (pp244-5).

Facing the Consequences

Though there is no vitriol in Aitken’s analysis, neither does he hold back from stating the full implications of his arguments: that slanted, selective news coverage and the BBC’s near-total silence on the harmful consequences of liberal policies and laws, together with its undermining, dismissing and omitting of conservative voices, constitute a gross dereliction of the Corporation’s duty to open up controversial topics for fair, full exposure and debate.

These topics are of extreme national importance; therefore, the BBC has been directly complicit not only in the suppression of true debate, but in the deterioration of British society. Thankfully, Aitken finishes on a positive note, reminding readers that no ideology or culture is immune from change or challenge.

The implication of Aitken’s arguments is that the BBC has been directly complicit not only in the suppression of true debate, but in the deterioration of British society.

Cathartic Reading

At times, Aitken becomes so engrossed in critiquing left-wing shibboleths that concrete examples from BBC coverage seem to fall by the wayside. More of his own personal story could also have been included, even though this has previously been published in his other books. And there is no mention at all of the BBC's prejudice against Israel - a cornerstone of its liberal worldview. However, these criticisms don’t detract from the overall satisfaction of reading an author who clearly values truth over myths, facts over convenient fictions or strategic omissions – and has very valid points to make about British media bias.

For those wanting a more sophisticated philosophical exposition of leftist ideology, it won’t go deep enough – as per Aitken’s background, this is a journalistic commentary. However, it remains a very cathartic read – saying out loud everything you ever muttered inwardly about the Beeb – and will be accessible to all, regardless of belief, if obviously irksome for those who incline left.

‘The Noble Liar: How and why the BBC distorts the news to promote a liberal agenda’ (paperback, 288pp) is available widely in bookshops and online. On Amazon for £7.72. Available on Kindle for less.

Watch the New Culture Forum's interview with Robin Aitken about the content of the book by clicking here.

Notes

1 By ‘left-wing’ and ‘liberal’, we mean the particular strand of radical leftism, inspired by atheism, humanism and Marxism, that has come to dominate the mainstream media in the West.

2 This might have been expected given his former history with the BBC, covered in his first book, ‘Can We Trust the BBC?’ (2007). See also ‘Can We Still Trust the BBC?’ (2013), which focuses on the revelations about Jimmy Savile.

Don’t let the media steer your priorities this year.

As we enter another calendar year (albeit on the Roman rather than the biblical calendar), what will be the central focus of our attention as a society, and as individuals? A delayed vote on the Brexit ‘deal’? Concerns over immigration? Climate change? The fortunes of our favourite sporting team? The next TV cooking competition?

We can be sure that the news media will be full of their own top priorities, all shouting loudly to draw our attention. Three days after Christmas, I ran a search on the name ‘Jesus’ on the BBC website. Among a multitude of news items, sporting fixtures and scores, entertainment, travel and so on, apart from a small amount of archived material, Jesus was barely mentioned: a late-night Christmas Day programme, an early morning Sunday radio show, and an upcoming Daily Service on 14 January. Nowhere else.

Yet, unless Jesus is at the centre of all that we think and do, our focus will be out of balance and our priorities skewed more towards worldly affairs and opinions than we might realise. In this fast-paced, media-driven culture we must be careful to check our priorities, even as Christians - that would be a good new year resolution for all of us!

Check Your Sources!

Personally, I have become more concerned than ever about the way the media focusses our attentions and dictates our concerns. We can be beguiled into thinking that the latest BBC news headline is the key issue in the world. But the choices of news editors can blinker us away from what might be God's priorities.

When I was a child I was brought up in a working class family and worked with my father on building sites, where I am glad to have come into contact with many ‘ordinary’ folk. I was impressed by the depth of understanding that they seemed to have of political affairs, debated hotly in the tea and lunch breaks. It was only in later years that I smiled when I realised that most were only expressing the opinions that they read in their daily papers, such as the Daily Mirror. Many of these workmen had their choice of newspaper in their pocket as they went to work.

Unless Jesus is at the centre of all that we think and do, our focus will be out of balance and our priorities skewed more towards worldly affairs and opinions than we might realise.

In conversations I have had this Christmas break, I was struck again by the way opinions across all social classes are still formed by the media. It was standard media opinions and the arguments of charismatic media personalities that were used by my non-believing friends to defend evolution against creationism, or LGBTQ+ ‘rights’, or to debate questions of our membership of the EU, or President Trump, Theresa May and so on.

"Check your sources!" is my constant cry against arguments that are too often based on no solid foundations. Certainly the mainstream media is not usually a primary source of truth, even if it is a primary source for opinion.

Steering Public Opinion

I read Andrew Marr's book, My Trade, recently and this confirmed my view of much corruption in the news industry: always seeking a headline (whether true, part-true or contrived) in order to make sales. Fake news is a new term, but it is not a new issue. Fake news or biased news reporting has permeated news media from its inception.

Not all is bad and rotting of course, but overall, the general public is often faced with a variety of selected ‘news’ stories that they cannot check and which are cleverly contrived to steer their opinion in a certain direction.

What we witness in the public arena is a power struggle for who shall govern our nation. The media has a legitimate place to hold politicians to account, but it has become a manipulating power that often weakens government instead of strengthening it. This adds daily to the corruption which is all around us - a corruption that is deepening because Jesus – the Truth - is no longer the central focus in our nation.

Generation Gap

Young people are not always as beguiled as older generations by what they see in the news arena. They have grown up in a world where you can no longer believe what you see. I discovered this from other conversations that I had this holiday season. These conversations made me wonder whether I really understand our younger generation who, through their own interactive and online communities, seem to be separating themselves away from a failing world.

The mainstream media is not usually a primary source of truth, even if it is a primary source for opinion.

The up-side is that many young people are thinkers. The down-side is that they are vulnerable and susceptible due to our cultural drift away from the Gospel message (which many young people have never heard). The nation is ripe for a youth-led revolution: but whether an uprising or a revival - it could go either way.

Jesus at the Centre

My challenge for 2019, therefore, is for us who know him to bring Jesus fully into the centre of our lives once more: to see things as he sees them and not according to worldly agendas that make no reference to him.

The Bible speaks so often, though sometimes in mysteries to be understood through prayer, about the days in which we live - days like the days of Noah or of Sodom and Gomorrah - days leading up to the return of Jesus, on which we need to be focussed more and more.

Perhaps, if Christians were to strengthen their focus on our Lord, then he may be gracious enough to revive us once more and through us speak truth to this needful generation. The days are urgent.

Last week's Songs of Praise included 'worship' in a mosque.

I'm not usually shocked by the BBC but I watched Songs of Praise last Sunday and I was deeply offended to see them include so-called ‘worship’ in a mosque and the visit of children from a local primary school where the one Muslim boy in the village attended. The BBC's Muslim Head of Religious Programming is slowly changing all the Christian slots - now even Songs of Praise, the flagship of Christian broadcasting, is under attack.

Lord Reith’s original vision for the BBC was to broadcast TRUTH to the world. But now the Corporation has been taken over by a cabal of secular humanists who do not even know what truth is! I cannot help but feel that Trump was right to ban the BBC from the White House! They cannot be trusted to report accurately – they instead seem to be in the business of twisting the truth to achieve their own purposes.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the BBC is dedicating itself to undermining the Judaeo-Christian foundations of the nation and that they are even prepared to use Islam as a weapon in this process. We warmly commend the article below from Voice for Justice and ask you to sign their petition.

The Perfidy and Contempt of the BBC

In November last year, following complaints of unacceptable Muslim bias and the deliberate marginalization of Christianity by its Muslim Head of Religion and Ethics, Aaqil Ahmed, the BBC announced that it was axing both the role of Head and the department of religion, bringing all religious programming and coverage under the remit of former Labour MP James Purnell, the head of radio and education.

However, on February 25, the BBC quietly announced that it had appointed another Muslim, Fatima Salaria, as its new Head of Religious Programming.

It would seem therefore that, in clear disregard of their earlier statement, the BBC has not only resurrected this role, but appears to be operating a policy of Islamic prioritization, once again ignoring the pleas of all other religious groups in the UK for proportionate and fair representation.

Ms Salaria’s most notable achievement since joining the BBC in 2015 would appear to have been to commission the TV reality show Muslims like Us, described in the press as ‘Muslim Big Brother’. It may be remembered that in this programme, among the ten Muslim housemates - chosen to reflect the diverse views of Muslims in the UK - was included Abdul Haqq, a Muslim convert, former boxing champion, convicted fraudster … and member of the inner circle of jailed radical cleric Anjem Choudary. But it gets worse, because Mr Haqq reportedly not only supported banned terror group Al-Muhajiroun, but was arrested in 2014 in Dover, and later charged with plotting to go to Syria to fight with Islamic State after spreading terrorist material online.

His inclusion, put forward without comment as merely one view among many, can only have served to ‘normalise’ extremism, and is an affront to all - including moderate Muslims honestly striving to integrate into British culture.

Do we really want someone who commissions programmes like this as head of religion for the BBC? Do we trust her to give proportionate and fair representation to all religious groups? Do we trust the BBC? Or do we share the view of Professor Anthony Glees of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, who told The Mail: “If a BBC executive makes a programme that is notorious and then the BBC promotes them, it tells me that the BBC has in that area lost its moral compass.”

Ms Salaria is on record as saying the BBC needs to give greater voice to Muslims. It is a view that seems to have been swallowed hook, line, and sinker by dementedly ‘diverse’ Auntie, who seemingly takes every opportunity to undermine and pour derision on those who espouse the traditional Christian beliefs and values upon which our nation is founded. But exactly what voice does Ms Salaria class as authentically ‘Muslim’ and wish to be heard? After all, from the example of Abdul Haqq, she appears to have no problem supporting what the rest of us call extremism,

It goes without saying that there is religious diversity in this country, and all faiths should receive proportionate coverage. But Christianity remains the established faith of the UK and, despite declining church attendance, according to the 2011 census Christians still make up 59.5% of the population: a clear majority. Given therefore that Christianity is the main faith of this country, surely the head of religious programming should be Christian - or at the very least, as advocated by Conservative MP Bill Cash, the post should be rotated between the different faiths. Which should include Judaism, Hinduism and Sikkhism … as well as Islam.

As it is, this new appointment seems deliberately insulting both to Christians and to followers of other belief systems, and part of an orchestrated attempt to Islamise the UK. Such an attitude displays not just contempt, but is a betrayal of the principles and values on which the UK is founded. For these reasons VfJUK joins those who argue that the BBC is no longer fit for purpose. We call for urgent investigation into the Corporation’s governance and purpose, and for review of the licence fee.

Please sign our new petition to the Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, calling for urgent investigation into the BBC's governance and leadership. Sign here.