Fax No Printer #35: Gary Lineker, Booked and Booked back by the BBC
They gave the man a red card and Tim Davie has just reinstated him back to MOTD
Home Sweet Home.
As you may have noticed, we’ve moved to Substack! Hello moto Hello New Format!
That being said, we’re going to be trying out new things in our upcoming editions so shoutouts to yourself for being part of the rodeo.
So for this edition, we kicked around with some ideas and, of course, had to talk about Gary Lineker, Ian Wright & Alan Shearer.
People have taken to Social media to voice their opinion on the stance and how this is more than about Gary Lineker standing by what he said.
It’s been a week since this discourse hit our timelines, and one thread of conversation that’s been repeated is the “impartiality” of the BBC (quotes intentional).
In an interview with Sky News, John Barnes expresses, “[…] we can’t have it both ways”, referencing the irony of BBC claiming impartiality, yet the commentary on the Qatar World Cup was anything but that.
“We’re saying stick to sports, but when we want to criticise other countries or other religions, we then say yes, let the sports people come talk about that but don’t criticise what goes on in this country. We can’t have it both ways”.
The BBC’s Editorial Guidelines state: “The BBC is committed to achieving due impartiality in all its output”, but the BBC Chairman helping a former Prime Minister with an £800,000 loan doesn’t sound very…impartial? 🤔
What does impartiality look like when Labour and Tory are one and the same?
‘Let the British revolution be led by football players.’
Critical Thinking Questions
Take a moment today and save these questions.
Challenge yourself, write down your thoughts, chat with a coworker, or share with your network - let yourself engage.
Is it even possible for any news platform to be truly impartial?
What steps, if any, should be taken to prevent similar controversies from occurring in the future within news corporations?
What even is BBC impartiality when Labour and Tory are one and the same?
How do news channels determine which individuals to give a platform to, and is it important for them to be transparent about their selection criteria with the public?