Monday, February 27, 2017

What the Ceeb Left Out Re a "Public Service"-Minded Beeber

It was most interesting to hear Helen Bouden, late of the BBC, currently teaching something or other at Harvard U., discuss the role of "public service" broadcasting on CBC radio yesterday. Bouden is convinced that this sort of broadcasting is so crucial because it provides information that is unbiased; info that the public needs to know, even if it doesn't know it needs to.

What twaddle, thought I. Both the Beeb and the Ceeb, at least in their radio versions, are afflicted with a pronounced and pervasive leftist bias. And to claim that no such bias exists is, in a word, daft.

Anyhoo, the Ceeb's Michael Enright went on and on about Brouder's storied career and plethora of honourary degrees. Something he neglected to mention (because it's damn embarrassing) is Bouden's part in the sorry Savile saga. Here's a brief synopsis (my bolds):
In December 2012, Boaden was asked to temporarily step down from her position as the Director of BBC News while the BBC awaited the results of Operation Yewtree,[9] a wide-ranging police investigation of sexual abuse, primarily of children, by former BBC presenter Jimmy Savile (who died in 2011) and others. A second and parallel investigation, launched by the BBC into possible management failings at the Corporation, called the Pollard Report after the lead investigator, Nick Pollard (a former senior executive at Sky News), criticised the BBC and several executive members for continuing with plans to celebrate Savile's life, despite apparently having received advanced information that Savile was being investigated for multiple cases of sexual abuse. The report explicitly criticised Boaden for having handled the matter too casually.[10] Boaden returned to her position later the same month.[9] 
In February 2013, Boaden was appointed director of radio[11][12] by incoming director-general Tony Hall.[3] This was widely seen as a demotion...
Rather casts a shadow on the woman and her work, no? You can see why the Ceeb's Michael Enright would choose to not highlight it.

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