Letter from America

An American Perspective

By Will McLeod, New York

Independent Media Matters

IN DECEMBER, a new documentary on bias in the 2014 independence referendum was dropped. No harm to the makers of London Calling, they did good work, but at this stage saying that the BBC has a pro-union and pro-government bias is a bit like declaring water to be wet. In point of fact, the BBC is a state broadcaster like Japan’s NHK. This means that so long as the powerful people running the institution have no interests at stake, the broadcaster is allowed to operate independently.

That’s dangerous. It means that when they do go into what former BBC journalist Paul Mason described as “Propaganda Mode” it’s doubly effective. By being generally trustworthy, it becomes harder to notice when they decide to have a more cavalier relationship with the truth, or when they’ve decided to phone it in because they can’t be bothered to do their own reporting.

I try to tell other Americans about the television “reporting” I witnessed during the independence referendum. I remember most clearly watching that infamous interview with Manuel Barroso. It was factually baseless, sure, as was another interview with a Spanish politician. Those were just talking heads. As an American, I’m accustomed to the chattering class lying to me whenever their mouths are open.