Moggy wrote:captain red dog wrote:So Andrew Neil appeared on Question Time, and I'm sure he has an NDA against him, but he seemed pretty clear that Gbeebies wanted to go the hard right Fox News style, and he didn't want to be part of it.
I can see a bit of hypocrisy there, he has allowed what most would consider to be far right columnists in The Spectator. He has also appeared only on Farage's show since his departure. However, if a channel is too far right for Andrew Neil, and he, kind of, openly speaks about it, I think we can all safely assume the future direction of Gbeebies.
It's far more than a bit of hypocrisy. Andrew Neil has been a stain on broadcasting and print journalism for decades.
He somehow managed to get a free pass because at election time he'd give the right wing parties some tough questions.
But when you look at the things he's said, the things he's allowed to be published and his whole "GB News will be anti-woke!" thing, it's pretty clear that he is comfortable with the hard/far right.
The difference of opinion here will be a combination of egos clashing behind the scenes and Neil still wanting to look respectable.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt (yes I know I always do this!). I believe he is probably a typical Tory voter, but when it comes to his personal journalism I do believe he can call it down the middle, certainly in terms of broadcast journalism at least (under BBC tight guidelines).
He has however given print space to some pretty unsavoury figures which I totally acknowledge. Personally, I think that's probably a 'sunlight is the best disinfectant' tactic. That's something I personally believe in. I always say the best thing BBC Question Time ever did was have Nick Griffin on, as it showed him up to the be the nasty bigot he was. He was allowed to hang himself and the whole event led to the destruction of the BNP which was immensely good.
However, I do acknowledge it isn't as clear cut as that. It also led to a rise in support for UKIP. There are also bad examples of this tactic like Dave Rubin who started out very much on that route and now is famous for only really showing one extreme side of an argument and pandering to it. Neil could in all honesty be the same, but I'm not sure given he walked away from GB News going the the Fox route.
So yeah the freedom of the press argument I find very strong, but I do acknowledge completely that Neil has never really been made to account for the people he has published. I do find that troubling.