Are the BBC telling porkies?

[vixylix]

Digressing totally - but I love when the BBC are reporting a BBC issue and they refer to the BBC as though it has absolutely nothing to do with them - makes me chuckle every time

[Kirk]

The BBC seem to be perpetually trying to get some "message" across. I firmly believe that it needs a complete change in how it operates and a lot more accountability. Too comfortable for the people running it I suspect.

Have to say that when I see Chris Packham on as a presenter I sit and wait for him to start preaching about climate change. The remote is kept close to hand.

Concerning the grape vines I would half suspect that someone said that if it did not get cold enough then they have problems pruning, this soon become they are having problems pruning as it is not cold enough. Not necessarily related however.

Cannot see the problem with rhubarb as the indoor forced rhubarb has artifical heat applied in order to fool it into thinking spring has arrived and to force it so all that would seemingly occur is that the forcers need to supply slightly less heat to get the rhubarb going.

Outdoor rhubarb likely will just sprout a bit. It is pretty robust.

[ancee]

South Yorkshire reporting here:
Message as follows:
Vines sap-less and pruned. Stop.
Rhubarb up, possibly earlier, depends if noticed or not. Stop.
Weather sometimes mild here, sometimes terrible like today. Stop.
Gale force winds blowing buses over, seems to have no effect on vines or rhubarb. Stop.
So ends report from your friendly South Yorkshire representative

[KairdiffKid]

Exxon have known about fossil fuel and climate change since 1981 Exxon knew of climate change in 1981, email says

If climate scientists had known there wasn't a link since 1981 all the media would have bonkers about it and would still be harping on about now (yet blink and you'd have missed this news) and I suspect some people would have ranted and raved themselves in to their local A&E.

The biggest problem with climate changes deniers is that they often seem to deal in half-truths and as Austin O'Malley wrote "It is twice as hard to crush a half-truth as a whole lie."

[skeggijon]

Climate change is going on all the time and whilst I don't deny that man has probably speeded up the current global warming, it was always going to happen. We are still coming out of the last ice age, as was taught in the 60's and 70's when I was at school.
The world has been ice free before and it will happen again, whatever we do.
Our weather records cover an insignificant period of time compared to the Earths life and I don't think two or three hundred years of weather records are long enough to establish a true pattern.

[purplekat]

One rhubarb has been growing well since before Christmas here in West Yorkshire (I'm just out of the triangle), the other is just starting now. My first year of looking after it so no idea when the normal time is for it to start growing.

[Invicta]

I would be surprised if the BBC were telling outright lies. The modus operandi of most media outlets is to emphasise news or facts that support their "angle" and suppress those things that would undermine their angle. That way you can't actually accuse them of a lie although it skews the story the way they want it.

[Penellype]

North Yorkshire rhubarb not showing above soil. However, I think I may have killed it last year by forcing it then shading it with potatoes as it didn't look at all happy in the autumn.

[skeggijon]

Timperley Early is sprouting well here in Lincolnshire.

[jackarmy]

Climate change is going on all the time and whilst I don't deny that man has probably speeded up the current global warming, it was always going to happen. We are still coming out of the last ice age, as was taught in the 60's and 70's when I was at school.
The world has been ice free before and it will happen again, whatever we do.
Our weather records cover an insignificant period of time compared to the Earths life and I don't think two or three hundred years of weather records are long enough to establish a true pattern.

Love that last line Jon, we really do forget how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.

[GardenGayle]

I don't know about grapevines but my rhubarb are definitely showing signs of life despite it being pretty cold and pretty much non stop raining here (West Yorkshire) I'm not sure if this is earlier than previous years as I don't tend to pay much attention to my rhubarb until there ready for picking!

[Thelma Sanders]

Timperley Early is sprouting well here in Lincolnshire.

That's why it's called Timperley Early because it is

TE is always the first up at our allotments!

[Losos]

However, news reporting has changed a lot with the advances and access to technology.

Actualy in my view this is part of the problem, there is just too much news!! because you can get a man (or women) into some remote jungle outpost (that we never knew existed) in a matter of hours, to report on a conflict we've never heard of, involving some minority who feel upset, does NOT mean everyone needs to know about it.

In fact I would go so far as to say that the rapid and more or less continuos reporting of disputes does absolutely nothing to help keep the world in peace, rather it enables every radical with a grudge to gain support from around the world, regardless of the truth.

And I'm convinced that every foreign corresspondant actually wants to see a war because it sure looks good on their C.V. and climbing the greasy BBC pole is what they are really all about.

Yes, cynical it maybe, but you have to be when you get to my age you've generally seen every trick in the book, and humanity doesn't come out well, let me get back to my plants please

[BUFFS]

I'm afraid I have to agree too. The BBC seems to decide on a "narrative" for every topic, then select pictures, commentators and reviewers to support the house view. You see it in their reporting on wars, on climate, on politics. Especially on politics: any challenge to the post-Thatcher neoliberal consensus (the current "overton window") is loudly derided.

that's why the lapdogs were put in charge ,to give their political masters views, getting more like 30s Germany each day, whatever you look at..

[Potstubsdustbins]

Great thread this, should be compulsory reading for all BBC executives, they should then hang their collective heads in shame and be sent to the naughty step.

The Vine is a very diverse community with many different points of view and some can argue their case quite strongly especially on climate change and the causes thereof.

Yet here we are with a great majority of posters stating the BBC are biased in their reporting of almost everything.

Only last night I was watching Country File and they did a slot asking the question 'are the recent heavy rains and floods going to be the new norm'. Not once did anyone mention the EU directive that stopped river dredging for environmental reasons. Even I know you can't get as much water through a 15mm pipe as you can through a 28mm pipe.

Do they not realise they have been sussed and their skewing of the facts to suit their own agenda actually damages the thing they want to promote.

I'll get off my high horse now......................