BBC Survey: Viewers Think Broadcaster is Anti-Christian
The BBC is widely regarded as displaying an anti-Christian attitude in its programming, according to the Corporation’s own research.
According to viewers, the BBC uses “derogatory stereotypes” of Christians which portray them as “weak” and “bigoted”. The BBC report, carried out as part of the corporation’s diversity strategy, said: “In terms of religion, there were many who perceived the BBC to be anti-Christian and as such misrepresenting Christianity.” It added: “Christians are specifically mentioned as being badly treated, with a suggestion that more minority religions are better represented despite Christianity being the most widely observed religion within Britain.” The report quotes one of the survey’s respondents as saying: “As a Christian I find that the BBC’s representation of Christianity is mainly inaccurate, portraying incorrect, often derogatory stereotypes.” Another respondent is quoted as saying: “Seldom do we find a Christian portrayed in drama, and when we do, it is usually a ‘weak’ person or a 'bigot’.“ And another respondent said that Christians were “represented as dogmatic and unsympathetic or as weak and washy and woolly, or as old.” However, a spokesman for the broadcaster said: “The BBC does not have an anti-Christian bias. “We have strict editorial guidelines on impartiality, including religious perspectives, and Christian programming forms the majority and the cornerstone of our religion and ethical output.“ The survey polled nearly 4,500 people. This included some BBC employees. The survey also revealed that many viewers believe that the BBC retains a politically left-wing or liberal bias in its programming. In January this year a former BBC news anchor warned that Christians are “fair game” for insults at the broadcaster whilst Muslims must not be offended. Peter Sissons, former BBC newsanchor, whose memoirs were being serialised in the Daily Mail, said: “Islam must not be offended at any price, although Christians are fair game because they do nothing about it if they are offended.”
In September 2010 the Director General of the BBC asserted, despite previous accusations that the corporation has been pushing for the legalisation of assisted suicide, that the BBC doesn’t campaign on political issues. In 2009 the Conservatives’ spokesman for culture, Jeremy Hunt, said the BBC should actively seek to redress its “innate liberal bias”. Mr Hunt was quoting from the BBC’s former political editor Andrew Marr. Mr Marr has also described the BBC as “a publicly funded urban organisation with an abnormally large proportion of younger people, of people in ethnic minorities and almost certainly of gay people compared with the population at large”. We thank the Christian Institute for reporting. Sources: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/bbc-survey-viewers-think-broadcaster-is-anti-christian/?e030611 http://www.christian.org.uk/news/bbc-trust-boss-we-must-avoid-metropolitan-bias/?e150711 More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392947/BBC-anti-Christian-snubs-elderly-finds-Corporations-OWN-survey.html?printingPage=true http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8549315/BBC-is-anti-Christian-and-ageist-viewer-survey-finds.html http://www.christian.org.uk/news/anti-christian-bias-is-ok-at-the-bbc-says-former-presenter/