The BBC has opened the can of worms, showing how their journalists really work
Let’s start today with a really good piece of news, exemplary for the Silly Season: that snake on the train to Leeds we mentioned yesterday has been given a name! And he/she/it has a new home, in a snake-refugium in Yorkshire (link, paywalled). Isn’t that lovely! Since we’re non-partisan, for a piece of bad news see this cartoon from today’s Times. We’re Brits – we can take the British Summer … And now to the rest of todays ‘news’, as presented to us by our wonderful MSM: “Newspaper headlines: ‘Rhodes holiday terror’ and George Alagiah tributes” (link).
Cynical old me finds it extremely interesting that there’s only the DT reporting on the repercussions of the BBC’s business editor having apologised yesterday to Nigel Farage regarding the ‘news’ of Coutts de-banking him because he hadn’t sufficient money (paywalled link). Cynical old me found it even more interesting to read this ‘explanation’ for the ‘mistake’, made by the BBC ‘News’ chief executive (all emphases are mine):
“The BBC double-checked whether a “senior source” at NatWest was happy for it to publish private information about Nigel Farage’s finances, The Telegraph can reveal. Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC News, said the corporation was directly given the go-ahead to run a controversial story about the closure of his Coutts account.” (paywalled link)
Let’s take a very close look at this BBC ‘excuse’. Firstly, we have “a senior source” at NatWest providing this ‘news’ to the intrepid, indefatigable investigative Mr Jack, BBC business editor. Hm – where else do we get ‘news’ from ‘senior sources’ … Then we’re presented with a proud declaration that this BBC editor ‘double-checked’, as a proper professional should. However, it seems that he didn’t double-check with a different ‘source’, he asked if that ‘senior source’ was ok with having the gossip published. That is not ‘double checking’ in my books …
It gets murkier. The BBC News CEO said they had been ‘directly’ given the go-ahead to publish this piece of gossip. This begs the question: who gave this go-ahead? NatWest? BBC lawyers? A BBC director? Did any of those ‘seniors’ even suggest to Mr Jack that perhaps it might be prudent to ask for some independent verification (more on that below).
I think we really need to be told. This affair throws a glaring light on the way the ‘flagship’ of the MSM, the BBC, is working. It is proof that the BBC and the MSM which copy their ‘news’ are indeed simply propaganda mouthpieces, not just for Whitehall – we knew that – but for big institutions like banks. Any piece of malicious gossip can be published when ‘double-checking’ only means asking some superiors or indeed the ‘source’ itself if their gossip can be published.
There’s more. Ms Turness, the BBC News CEO, kept digging the journalistic hole her editor and she are in, claiming for example that “The piece ran claims from “people familiar with the matter […]” (paywalled link). Note that we’re now given to understand that not just one ‘source’ but several, i.e. ‘people familiar’, told this untruth. Then she skilfully muddies the water further;
“She admitted that the corporation had been fed “inaccurate” information by a “senior and trusted source” at Coutts, which is owned by the NatWest Group.” (paywalled link)
My heart bleeds for this innocent BBC journalist who only believed a ‘trusted source’ who happens to be a Bank CEO! Whom can you trust if not such ‘senior source’ like Dame Alison Rose, especially when she tells a blatant porky at a posh ‘charity dinner’! I love the obfuscation by the BBC’s News CEO when she uses phrases like ‘people familiar’ and ‘senior and trusted source at Coutts’. Is this another example for acting contrary to Denis Healey’s ‘Law of Holes’, according to which one ought to stop digging when one is in one?
Furthermore, the DT has two additional reports – paywalled, here and here – dragging the NatWest Chairman into this affair. We’re told that Nigel Farage has now written a letter to the NatWest chairman, demanding an inquiry. While this affair and NF’s letter do indeed put pressure on the NatWest chairman, there is one sentence which I found extremely significant, especially in view of the excuse above, that Mr Jack did ‘double-check’:
“Prior to it being published, he [Mr Jack] approached Mr Farage for comment on July 4.” (paywalled link).
Cynical old me wonders if this is actually true. If it happened, did Mr Jack simply decided to run with the lie because NF is who he is and cannot be trusted to acknowledge that the fine Dame has made ‘an error’? Apparently, it’s sufficient for the BBC and the rest of the MSM to disbelieve someone whom they dislike, preferring to publish their smears and distortions? What does that tell us about the way the BBC and the rest of our MSM work?
Why should any of us ‘trust’ the BBC and MSM to give us ‘the truth’ when clearly the top ‘trustworthy’ news provider is abusing their power in order to smear a person they dislike, to bring him down rather than do their journalistic job properly? What does it tell us about our society where powerful people – and the CEO of a big bank is indeed powerful – can spread untruths, unchecked, unverified, using the MSM as conduct, knowing full well that they won’t be questioned or indeed ‘fact checked’?
That’s all I have for today. It’s good to have my view confirmed, from the top CEO all the way down, that our MSM, the BBC included, are untrustworthy propaganda mouthpieces. This scandal has indeed opened a can of worms. Have a good day.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/07/25/alison-rose-natwest-leak-bbc-nigel-farage-coutts/
Dame Alison Rose admits she was the BBC’s source. ““I recognise that in my conversations with Simon Jack of the BBC, I made a serious error of judgment”. “Sir Howard Davies, the bank’s chairman, said he was standing by Dame Alison. After careful reflection the Board has concluded that it retains full confidence in Ms Rose as CEO of the bank.”
The error of judgement was a) a lie and b) illegal.
If the confidentiality breached was that of Prince William, say, would the Board still back her? How can they retain “full” confidence in her unless they agree Farage is someone who merits being lied about and humiliated?
She’s got to go. And this has to be a breach of GDPR.
Wouldn’t it better now for Farage to instruct his lawyers to sue the CEO of Coutts Bank and this Jack fellow at the BBC for breach of Data Regulations etc, rather than what we have right now of Farage supplying us all of a blow by blow account of what took place, and he said this and she said that and I said this and that and the other on his GB News programme which over the past couple of weeks has had more or less wall to wall coverage of the story. Yes, it is a serious matter and the CEO of Coutts and the BBC need to be held account and if need be in a court of law, but this banking situation should now be a private matter between himself and his bank without every blinkin detail being made public over the airwaves, which may compromise any future court proceedings. There are other serious issues that need to be aired on his show, but will he actually take these people to court, or is ‘considering his/my options’ just talk. Nigel likes to think of himself as an ordinary man on the street, but how many ordinary men on the street bank with Coutts, and why didn’t he just open a personal and business account with an ordinary High Street Bank or Building Society?
CH- I agree this matter should not be aired in such fashion. Must say I prefer watching this wriggling, than interminable MacCan girl, InRush, rape by footballer, buildings catching fire, Lawrance, and the like!
Without the ‘dog worrying a bone’ approach, we will hear the standard ‘lessons will be learned’, ‘we will assist with any enquiry that will last you out, by years and years’ (= now, buzz-off out of it, you loser). Long grass growing up around the can.
I don’t blame Big Nige one bit. Many of us would like to have such a platform to expose the untouchables, on way over one million (plus cheap shares) a year, or mp on eighty grand a year owning five houses worth six plus million – Dad was a milkman donchaknow.
Lastly, you missed something. Once you have been blackballed by one bank, you are blackballed by more or less all of them – something Nige has found out and reported on. This blanket blackballing is rife in many, many industries. Furthermore, it seems – seems that Nige’s family members have received the same treatment.
NatWest/Coutts v Farage, an entertaining clash of snob v snob. NatWest must be irritated at its subsidiary’s misjudgement in picking on someone who has his own TV show and a political one at that. The public are now getting a peek behind the facade. Never a good idea. The woke staff at Coutts got a bit carried away. a little over confident, but the only outcomes will be minor tweaks to the rules with banks a little more circumspect about cancelling customers (for a while until they get less crass at it) and possibly Alison Rose leaving with a very, very large payoff. Farage reinstated at Coutts looks about as likely as a genuine affirmation of the values of free speech, free expression, and freedom of assembly appearing on banks’ websites.
Meanwhile, the chillingly Orwellian Online Safety Bill, my top worry, looks set to be the crowning achievement of this parliament. Eva Vlaardingerbroek’s “Resist much/ obey little” , a mantra for our times, will become increasingly difficult. Only word of mouth groups will survive as Signal, Whatsapp, iMessage and the like are withdrawn from the UK, as we meet in basements to try and maintain morale in an increasingly controlled, ever more demoralising world.
Farage’ GB News programme last night (Tuesday) again much of it devoted to his banking problems. Certainly the first 25 minutes after which it was about something else. Hooray, you mean there are things worthy of being mentioned!!! However, it didn’t last and the last ten minutes was back to the bank situation again. Boring, boring, boring and we’ve had too much of it now…
Just a comment – all the A-Mericans I work with, use the expression:-
a barrel of snakes.
I’m not sure which is more appropriate!
In other news, Paddy Bidet has declared on tv, the Russians have been beaten in Ukraine. Suppose that’s what you get when you fall off the turnip waggon once too often. Presumably following this excuse / declaration, the uSA will stop hemmoraging money and weapons to the Ukrs. Anyone wanna buy a grain / munitions ship that is going cheap?
If only the BBC’s new and much heralded Fact Checking programme had been consulted by the BBC.
Norman……..its called double standards, and the BBC are all about double standards from A to Z. It is a truly disgusting organisation these days and it needs to be abolished in its present form and made into a subscription service, for those who have nothing better to do with their lives than spend hours on end in front of the TV, watching the absolute garbage which passes for entertainment these days. Thank goodness I saw the light in 2016 and got rid of the TV and the BBC. Do I miss it, do I heck…