OH, THE TRUTH IT DOES COME OUT – AT 1:13 P.M. ET:  There has probably been more bluntness in Britain about press bias than in the U.S.  In Britain the discussion centers around the BBC, possibly the most overrated broadcaster in the world. 

Audiences, especially in the U.S., get taken in by those British accents.  "Sophisticated" Americans watch the BBC on public television, believing they're getting the truth because the reporters sound so good.  Ah, but the facts are different.  From London's Telegraph:

BBC presenter Michael Buerk has criticised the corporation for being "out of touch" with public opinion.

The veteran journalist accused BBC staff of making the left-wing Guardian newspaper their “bible” and political correctness "their creed”.

Mr Buerk, who presents Radio 4’s Moral Maze, was reviewing the memoir of his former colleague, Peter Sissons, who also attacks the BBC for having “institutional bias”.

Writing in political magazine Standpoint, Mr Buerk said: “What the BBC regards as normal and abnormal, what is moderate or extreme, where the centre of gravity of an issue lies, are conditioned by the common set of assumptions held by the people who work for it.”

He added: “It’s all very well-meaning, and painstakingly even-handed, but often notably adrift of the overriding national sentiment.”

Although he praised some BBC managers, including Mark Thompson, the director general, Mr Buerk said some of his bosses were “totally transparent t******.”

He concluded: “For those of us who love the place, and what it should stand for, these are worrying times.”

COMMENT:  These are worrying times indeed for those of us who love journalism.  Bias is far worse in other countries than in the U.S., with the rabid European left still having a lock grip on many news outlets in Europe, but some in the American media seem determined to catch up.

It's good to see BBC people speaking out about the Beeb's biases.  They've been evident for some time. 

April 2, 2011