BBC’s shame: Attack on Corbyn over Woman’s Hour interview is crushed by the public
Emma Barnett catches Jeremy Corbyn out on Woman’s Hour. Well done. What about the fact that the entire Conservative manifesto is uncosted and the Tories cannot provide the price of ANY of their spending commitments?
That’s right. Jeremy Corbyn forgot the figures for Labour’s new childcare policy and the presenter of Woman’s Hour, Emma Barnett, barracked him mercilessly while he tried to look them up.
Here’s what they were talking about:
Our universal childcare plan will mean 30 hours free childcare a week for all two-four year-olds. RT ↓ #ForTheManypic.twitter.com/1ZvAKa1HgD
— Peter Dowd (@Peter_Dowd) May 30, 2017
Since then, the BBC has run an article on its website (as have others), and there was a long segment on its Daily Politics programme.
The public has picked up on this – as intended.
And responded in exactly the opposite way from what the Corporation’s Tory-supporting news execs no doubt expected.
I’ll let the tweets speak for themselves:
Really don't get why this interview with @jeremycorbyn being conducted in such an aggresive manner, really terrible interview #womanshour
— JBJagain (@jbjagain) May 30, 2017
Really Woman's Hour? This man and the Labour Party are what your listeners and their families need. Shame on you Woman's Hour #womanshour
— Panther (@Panther157) May 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/_jonnyjonny/status/869500339829055488
Reminder: interviewers can't even quiz May on the costings in her manifesto because she doesn't have any
— Maya Goodfellow (@MayaGoodfellow) May 30, 2017
Rookie mistake, but at least Corbyn tried to find it. May didn't offer costings for ANY policy last night https://t.co/mLzDdirDj5
— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) May 30, 2017
Corbyn made a mistake. But Labour does have the figures. May repeatedly refuses to give any numbers at all.
— Maya Goodfellow (@MayaGoodfellow) May 30, 2017
Labour can be attacked over remembering the costings of their policies because, unlike the Tories, they actually have costings.
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) May 30, 2017
#WomanHour Just listened to interview in which #Labour discussed child care commitment. It's in the manifesto & its been costed. #EndOf
— Dorset Eye (Independent Citizen Community Media) (@dorset_eye) May 30, 2017
The press is effectively rewarding the Tories for insulting the electorate by not having costings by reserving ire for the party that does.
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) May 30, 2017
Seems Womens hour is only meant for Tory women who don.t have to work, rely on CARE and pay extortionate prices for it.. #BBCWomanshour sick
— Isobel_Waby we NEED a COALITION (@Isobel_waby) May 30, 2017
Typical #BBCwomenshour doing what Tories do best insult our children and their needs to get at #Corbyn your an insult to women.
— Isobel_Waby we NEED a COALITION (@Isobel_waby) May 30, 2017
This one’s by me:
Brilliant move by @jeremycorbyn , delaying saying how much Labour's childcare pledge will cost. WE ALL KNOW NOW, DON'T WE?
— Mike Sivier (@MidWalesMike) May 30, 2017
(It’s £4.8 billion, if you had missed it.)
Do we honestly expect every politician of every party to know every number that's relevant to governing the UK? And if so, why?
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) May 30, 2017
Conclusion: The writing is on the wall for “gotcha!” journalism.
We aren’t interested in constant attempts to catch Labour out. We want to know about all parties’ policies.
If the BBC can’t help us with that, why are we paying the licence fee?
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Great to see the reaction from the public. Why hasn’t May been flayed alive ten times over for not even providing any figures at all.
Every time I have heard Emma Barnett interview Labour MPs on 5 Live I have got annoyed esp.when she is accusing Labour MPs of not answering her questions when they plainly do answer them, she cannot be bothered to use her blasted ears!.
I began to think where have I heard her name before and she.sounds like a right Tory, now I know she is ,her media credentials say it all -Torygraph,Sky,BBC…
Remarkable incompetence no matter which way you try and spin it.
… by the editors of Woman’s Hour? Yes.
At least he is going to help 2 to 4 year olds, unlike this Tory Gang !.
Theresa May didn’t give an answer to a costing with Jeremy Paxman but it wasn’t pounced on and exploited.
I have already tweeted I hope scathingly on this. It is cheap and lazy of journalists to set traps for politicians over figures they can’t be expected to carry in their heads like performing parrots – yah boo school playground level discourse which puts the BBC to shame. Can’t they get the quality of staff these days? Labour has costed its policies and put the figures up to be shot at. The BBC should be acknowledging this and grilling the Tories over the sinister lack of detail in their manifesto.
Seriously, Women’s Hour? Thought you were better than this. Or are you channelling the spirit of Katie Hopkins?
The constant bbc attempts to discredit any party other than the conservatives in every news item,interview and programme are now so blatant that they can no longer claim to be impartial.I for one resent having to pay for tory propoganda.Corbyn forgot one figure whilst being relentlessy hectored this
was simply unpleasant bullying whilst the senior Tory representatives who have gotten their figures hopelessly wrong(20 billion anyone) arent even questioned.May chilled
Sorry woman’s hour.
I once admired your show. The quality of journalism has dropped to a new low.
By bye BBC for me. I am cancelling my TV license.
saw the interview – how do I complain about Emma Barnet?? on such an important issue for women the whole point was trivialized for the sake of a cheap jibe.
This interview was the cruelest thing I have heard on Radio 4. It sounded like bear-baiting. Who cares about the numbers in the context of an interVIEW? It ought to be about ideas, not the minutiae of numbers which are easily found, as the tormenter (I cannot describe her as an interviewer) demonstrated. Cringeworthy.
‘Conclusion: The writing is on the wall for “gotcha!” journalism.’
– I sincerely hope that’s the case, but when you consider the blatant degree of quite shocking bias the BBC have displayed ever since Corbyn’s name was first put forward as party leader, does it honestly seem likely that a change is on the horizon?