A SENIOR economics expert has shared a request he received to appear on the BBC, saying it shows the “major problem” with the corporation’s approach to politics.
Professor Jonathan Portes, who was the chief economist at the Cabinet Office during Gordon Brown’s Labour government, posted the approach from the BBC producer on social media.
The message to Portes read: “Hi Prof Johnathon [sic]. [Redacted] here from the BBC. Would you be supportive of strikes? We are looking for an economic expert who isn’t. Thank you.”
The King’s College London professor said the message showed: “The major problem with the BBC's approach to politics/current affairs journalism.”
The major problem with the BBC's approach to politics/current affairs journalism summarised below.
— Jonathan Portes (@jdportes) January 17, 2024
[not directed at the producer who I am sure was just doing their job/what they were asked. It's a systemic issue.] pic.twitter.com/FwhM0MgZrw
He added that the post was “not directed at the producer who I am sure was just doing their job/what they were asked. It's a systemic issue”.
One user responded asking if Portes didn’t “agree with the reasoning/sentiment behind the query”.
The professor responded: “No. ‘Are you for radiotherapy or chemotherapy for cancer? We need a medical scientist to argue for chemotherapy.’”
The request from the unnamed BBC producer recalled a statement made by former Newsnight host Emily Maitlis after leaving the corporation.
In a speech to the Edinburgh Television Festival in 2022, Maitlis said: "It might take our producers five minutes to find 60 economists who feared Brexit, and five hours to find a sole voice who espoused it.
"But by the time we went on air we simply had one of each; we presented this unequal effort to our audience as balance. It wasn't."
It is unclear from Portes’s post which strikes the BBC wanted him to talk about, but there has been sweeping action across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in recent weeks.
READ MORE: How trade unions can become more effective in 2024
In England, junior doctors staged a six-day walkout from January 3 to January 9, the longest walkout in the history of the NHS.
In Wales, junior doctors began a three-day walkout over pay on January 15.
Both countries are also set to see train driver strikes from January 30.
And in Northern Ireland, public sector workers will take part in a generalised day of strike action on Thursday – bringing many services in the region to a standstill.
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