My mornings are relaxed compared to many. I have coffee with my wife, scroll through Substack and Bluesky, and listen to the radio—usually rambling and ranting about current affairs or and putting the world to rights.
Growing up in a council scheme, authority—whether the police, government, or even the news—was met with suspicion. Now, it seems that all sides of the political spectrum have embraced that distrust, as Ash Sarker describes it, swallowing the “black pill.” How and why that happened is a debate in itself.
This post, however, focuses on the news—specifically, how it is delivered and manipulated.
The most pernicious thing I learned about how power perverts our ideas was when I discovered Noam Chomsky’s “Manufacturing consent” theory. I always take radio and news with a pinch of salt. The rich and powerful and the upper-middle-class editors dictate what is heard and, more importantly, what isn’t.
This issue is important when you consider who owns our media, the culture of classism within the UK and the US, and how we as a society deal with century-defining issues such as;
- Climate Change
- Genocide
- Environmental collapse
- Exploitation of ordinary people.
These are the issues of the day, in no particular order. But hearing our national broadcaster discuss them in such passive terms is enough to raise my blood pressure and put me in the hospital.
This post will discuss two recent examples of how the BBC has been complicit in manipulating ordinary people to suit the needs of the powerful.
Why single out the BBC? It is our national broadcaster, funded by us, and should be the gold standard.
Here are two examples of how the BBC tries to be “both sides” and be impartial but fails in the basics of journalism.
So how do they do it? Manufacturing Consent
Firstly, what do I mean by ‘Manufacturing Consent’? Simply put, it’s the process of shaping public opinion to legitimise and uphold the interests of those in power.
Who coined it,Noam Chomsky.Dr. Chomsky is a living legend. His discussions on politics, war, language, and power influenced my thinking as a teenager.
A description I like – “the father of modern linguistics. Noam Chomsky wears many hats. He is an…
- American linguist
- Cognitive scientist
- Historian
- Social critic
- Philosophy expert“
The media and powerful groups influence people to accept ideas and decisions that benefit them.
Here, Chomsky presents this idea to Andrew Marr, who is stumped.
Marr seems unable or unwilling to acknowledge that self-censorship isn’t inherently a conscious decision but starts with the formation of fundamental ideas of how society works and how we behave.
So, it takes a strong, strong will to understand that. What you say and how you act are built up over years of having certain ideas and ideals projected onto you.
Example 1: BBC’s Complicity in Genocide
The BBC article “Trump says no right of return for Palestinians under Gaza plan” (10 February 2025) is a masterclass in passive, misleading journalism.
The writer David Gritten will hide behind the shield of impartiality by saying they used direct quotes, multiple viewpoints, and natural and passive language.
For the “extreme centre” folk, this is important to both sides and presents both sides as if they are equal.
But it distorts the truth by leaving out important parts and framing the situation.
Simply put, I don’t need a journalist to look at the weather, see the rain, and say, “Person A says it is raining, and person B says it isn’t. We will let you decide.” You should say it if it is actually raining.
The BBC’s Legal and Whitewashing Ethnic Cleansing
The BBC has a statutory duty under its Royal Charter to ensure that news is:
Accurate and impartial, and it has been recommended to Report with due weight to evidence and established facts
This BBC article fails on both counts.
1. Whitewashing Ethnic Cleansing
The UN has already stated that the mass displacement of Palestinians is “tantamount to ethnic cleansing.” Yet, the BBC presents Trump’s plan as a policy proposal rather than a direct violation of international law.
Under:
- The Rome Statute (Articles 7 & 8) – Forced displacement is a war crime and crime against humanity.
- The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) – Deliberately destroying a people’s ability to survive is genocide.
- The Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 49) – The transfer of protected persons from occupied territory is explicitly illegal.
Instead of clearly stating these facts, the BBC frames ethnic cleansing as a political debate.
2. Ignoring the ICJ’s Ruling on Genocide
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already ruled that Israel’s actions in Gaza could plausibly constitute genocide. Yet, this article makes no mention of it.
By excluding this legal context, the BBC misleads the public, reducing a matter of international law to a “he said, she said” political argument.
3. Framing War Crimes as Logistical Challenges
The article fails to challenge Trump’s rhetoric, which describes forced displacement as a real estate project, stating:
“No, they wouldn’t [return], because they’re going to have much better housing.”
Instead of calling this out as blatant ethnic cleansing, the BBC treats it as a policy preference.
This isn’t journalism. It’s complicity.
What Needs to Happen?
- The BBC must amend this article to explicitly state that forced displacement is illegal under international law.
- The ICJ’s ruling must be referenced to provide the necessary legal context.
- The BBC must stop presenting genocide as a political issue and report it for what it is—a crime against humanity.
Of course, none of this will happen. The BBC will hide behind “impartiality” while allowing war crimes to be framed as reasonable political discourse.
Example 2: BBC’s Complicity in Ecocide
A few days later, I tuned into Kaye Adams’ morning show on BBC Radio Scotland. The topic? BP’s decision to abandon its green commitments and increase oil and gas production.
What followed was an hour-long exercise in misinformation, false balance, and outright climate denial—all broadcast, unchallenged, on our national airwaves.
How the BBC Spread Climate Misinformation
- Platforming Climate Denial Without Challenge
One caller, Stephen from Dundee, denied the climate crisis outright: Stephen: “The climate is naturally cooling. Most carbon emissions come from nature, not humans.” This is factually false, but Adams didn’t correct him. Instead, she gave him legitimacy: Kaye Adams: “So you don’t believe we’re in a climate emergency?” By framing it as a matter of opinion, she allowed misinformation to stand.
The discussion framed BP’s rollback as a neutral business decision rather than a catastrophic betrayal of climate commitments. Kaye Adams: “Maybe this is just the reality of the market?” No. The reality is that BP is knowingly driving climate collapse for profit.
Another guest, Murdo McLean (oil industry veteran), claimed: “UK oil production is better for the environment than importing oil from abroad.” This is industry propaganda. All fossil fuel production accelerates climate breakdown. Yet, Adams let it go unchallenged again!
In fact, she even challenges one of her guests on the show, who asserts that climate change isn’t an agenda or ideal; this is a scientific fact, and Adams repeats throughout the show that it is an agenda and an “ideal.”
Legal Violations & The BBC’s Role in Climate Denial
This broadcast violated the BBC’s Royal Charter by:
- Giving equal weight to scientific fact and misinformation
- Allowing fossil fuel talking points to be broadcast unchallenged
- Framing climate action as a “debate” rather than a scientific necessity
What Needs to Happen
- The BBC must issue a public clarification, correcting the false claims aired on the show.
- The BBC must stop presenting climate science as opinion—this is a settled fact.
- The BBC must hold fossil fuel companies accountable rather than amplifying their excuses.
Again, will they? Of course not.
Final Thoughts: Who Does the BBC Serve?
These two examples are not isolated incidents but part of a systemic pattern. Whether it’s genocide in Gaza or climate destruction, the BBC shapes public opinion to benefit those in power.
This is Manufacturing Consent in action. It’s not about outright lies. It’s about framing, omission, and subtle distortions that make the unthinkable seem reasonable.
And so we’re left with a question: If we cannot trust our national broadcaster to tell the truth about the greatest crises of our time, who can we trust.
While I was writing this article, the BBC pulled a documentary about the destruction of Gaza narrated by the children of Gaza, as one of the children is the child of the Hamas minister of Agriculture. See Novara discussing the potential of it being cancelled, prior to its cancellation. Ironically the free speech warriors and market place of ideas idiots never spoke out….
Would they ever pull or question information from Israel due to links with ministers, illegal settlers or businesses with interests in the war.
Here is a list of news organisations I watch, listen to, and read from who want to tell the truth and hold those in power accountable.
- The Ferret is an award-winning investigative journalism platform for Scotland and beyond. https://theferret.scot/
- Third Force News (TFN) is Scotland’s only dedicated daily news outlet for charities and voluntary organisations in Scotland. It is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. https://tfn.scot/
- The Big Issue Group: A social enterprise tackling poverty by helping people earn, learn, and thrive. – https://www.bigissue.com/
- Double Down News – bring people together with empathy and evidence https://www.doubledown.news/
- Morning Star is a reader-owned co-operative, which means anyone can become part of the paper by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society. https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/
- Novara Media is an independent media organisation addressing the issues that are set to define the 21st century, from a crisis of capitalism to racism and climate change. https://novaramedia.com/
- Bylines Scotland is a national not-for-profit online newspaper that supports citizen journalism. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in Scotland and beyond. https://bylines.scot/
- The Canary is a radical working-class media outlet that is run by the workers. –https://www.thecanary.co/
Horizon Glasgow 
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