Is Ofcom reading? Euro economist Bregman’s Twitter takedown of This Week is a revelation
“Worst experience”: Mr Bregman said Davos was “bewildering” but This Week “beats everything”.
Dutch historian Rutger Bregman could be heading for notoriety for a second time this year after he tweeted a damning account of his experiences on BBC political discussion programme This Week.
Mr Bregman, who is best-known for a viral video telling the economic elites in Davos to pay their taxes, explained what happened in this Twitter thread:
1. Last night, I was invited to be on the BBC show ‘This Week’. I thought that Davos was a bewildering experience, but this beat everything.
— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019
3. Then they ask: ‘Can you make a statement about the European Union?’
⁰Me: ‘No. That’s not my expertise.’ ⁰
Producer: ‘Can you say something about the terrorist attack in Utrecht?’⁰
Me: ‘No, that’s not my expertise. Didn’t you invite me to talk about my book?’— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019
5. When you arrive at the studio, you quickly find out that nobody has actually read your book. The producer, the presenter – they all couldn’t care less. They don’t even have a copy.
— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019
7. They make up facts about inequality (‘hasn’t grown’) and the economy (‘never been better’). They change the subject every 10 seconds. They hardly let you finish a sentence. Then it’s over.
— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019
9. Many are not really engaging with the questions. For example, compare this interview I did with the genuinely curious Trevor Noah in the U.S (https://t.co/yUzA1Y1Ktt), with this interview on BBC Newsnight (https://t.co/9W04WpXobR).
— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) March 22, 2019
This Writer sincerely hopes that Ofcom, which is currently investigating whether the BBC is honouring its obligation to be impartial in its news reporting, has been paying attention. If not, I would encourage Mr Bregman to get in touch with that organisation.
Oh, and his book? It’s called Utopia for Realists – and how we can get there and is available at Amazon and Waterstones.
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