At this time of national crisis the BBC really should be stepping up to the plate by providing the most comprehensive, balanced and accurate news coverage it possibly can.
Sadly, just like in normal times, the Corporation's news coverage is proving woefully inadequate.
Three examples spring to mind:
1. Yesterday BBC News led on a story where it claimed that the "boss of a large NHS Trust" had been on the phone expressing concerns about the lack of PPE his workers had. Skip forward a few hours and it transpired that the "boss of a large NHS Trust" was no such thing, but was actually someone who worked for an organisation that helped procure equipment for some NHS Trusts.
2. On Thursday the BBC News at 3 o'clock opened with a graphic incorrectly stating there had been 35,000 further deaths from covid-19 in the UK over the past 24 hours, when the actual number was 861.
3. This morning on BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty interviewed the delightful Dr Jessica Mok, a bariatric surgeon who has volunteered to work at the NHS Nightingale Hospital London, about her role treating coronavirus patients.
When asked if she had any concerns about the supply of PPE, Dr Mok answered: "No I'm not really involved in the organisational aspects of it but what I've seen so far we've not got a problem in terms of access to those. We're not really allowed into the hospital without sufficient PPE."
Naga interjected: "The reason we're talking about this and we are going to be talking to someone from an NHS Trust later, is that the guidance is doctors and nurses in England being told that they may have to work without full length gowns and treat patients with coronavirus. If you were asked to do that, how would you feel?"
Dr Mok replied: "It's difficult because it is quite a high risk situation where we are at the Nightingale it's all patients are ventilated so having sufficient PPE is important.
"I guess it depends on what we're actually being asked to wear so it’s hard to say without seeing what it is we've got. I do trust the organisation to look after us and they have done so far."
Viewers quickly took to Twitter to slam Munchetty's line of questioning and apparent disappointment when Dr Mok denied there was a shortage of PPE.
One of them quipped: "Naga utterly desperate to find a lack of PPE #BBCBreakfast"; another said: "That doctor won't be invited back on after she said she had enough PPE #BBCBreakfast".
You can judge for yourself, watching the interview below:
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2 comments:
The BBC are, as this article rightly points out, misrepresenting the current virus situation.
They're not the only ones - the BBC are just looking for the blood (as in "If it bleeds, it leads") and, with total irresponsibility, adding weight to this fictional situation.
The truth is that COVID-19 is less contagious than seasonal 'flu, is less severe in the symptoms it produces, and kills fewer people.
The death figures are, quite simply, unknown. In fact they're being extrapolated, manipulated, and generally falsified. If someone dies *with* COVID-19 - or even just some similar symptoms of the virus because there is no full, systematic testing in place - then that death is registered as being *from* COVID-19.
Even with this falsification, death figures are well below those for seasonal 'flu. Except for this year because, mysteriously, the figures for seasonal 'flu have disappeared.
I strongly urge everyone here (all of whom, presumably, are sensible types not easily swayed by intimidation, fear, and misguided public opinion) to boycott the BBC and other sensationalist media (which is about all the mainstream media right now) for the duration and to get their facts from reliable sources available on the Internet.
I'm sorry, but I disagree. The seasonal Flu, or Influenza, has a mortality rate of around 0.1 and Covid-19 has a mortality rate of around 3.4. Also, according to the WHO, that's the World Health Organisation, Covid-19 IS more contagious than Influenza, using the R0 (pronounced r-naught) scale, Influenza has a R0 rating of about 1.3, whereas, Covid-19's R0 rate is about 2-2.5. The R0 scale isn't fixed though, as it is in reference to contagious levels and for that, you need people together for it to go higher. Another thing to consider, is that we've only really known about Covid-19 and the associated deaths since about November last year, that is only 6 months, so it hasn't even been a full year yet and we're already seeing much higher mortality rates than we normally see with Influenza.
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