A news anchor for BBC Scotland, Sally Magnusson, has apparently been reprimanded by her employer for violating the terms of her contract because she expressed her views of the Icesave mess in an opinion piece to a British newspaper. In the piece, Magnusson criticized the British and Dutch governments over their Icesave stance.
Sally Magnusson is the daughter of Magnus Magnusson, a well-known TV presenter in the UK, who died a couple of years ago. Magnus Magnusson was born in Iceland but lived for most of his life in the UK.
However, as Egill Helgason points out on his blog, the BBC’s business editor Robert Peston has also been highly critical of the Dutch and British governments on his blog lately over the same issue, and has evidently NOT been put in the doghouse.
Which begs the question – does the BBC impose different rules on petite, blond women who read the news, and ruggedly handsome men who write about business?
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Alda, please share your opinion on this little episode with us?
(You may have to fire yourself afterward.)
Maybe the difference lies in the fact that Magnusson wrote for a newspaper (getting paid for it, one presumes), whereas Peston wrote on his blog, hosted by the BBC itself. I can see why working for a competitor while you’re still employed might not sit well with your current employer.
In fact, isn’t the fact that Peston didn’t get any flak from his superiors at the Beeb for his critical post in itself evidence that it’s not about the opinions offered as such?
I don’t think it would be wise to jump to conclusions here and take this as a sign of anti-Icelandism on the part of the BBC (or sexism, for that matter). Perhaps it’s true, but I don’t see any compelling evidence to assume it is here yet.
The answer is in what you have written:
Sally Magnusson is employed by the BBC and has violated the terms of her contract because she expressed her views of Icesave to a newspaper.
Whereas Robert Peston is also employed by the BBC and has expressed his opinions on his ‘official’ BBC blog.
Did the request for renegotiations on the occasion of the newly proclaimed friendship among the animals in the forest already trigger any reactions by officials/media in NL/UK?
The BBC is certainly not impartial when it comes to U2 albums, apparently;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8458692.stm
…and Robert Peston “ruggedly handsome”? Um. Not sure about that one!
Also, there’s the difference being a news anchor (for the life of me, I can’t think what that is in Britain, “News Presenter” probably) and business editor.
News anchors aren’t really supposed to have opinions, they just tell the news. They then turn to the “experts” who editorialise.
So, where as Peston’s supposed to have an opinion, and it expected by the audience to state his own, considered view, the presenters are expected to, essentially, read the autoque.
BBC journalists such as Jeremy Paxman* have previously been reprimanded a number of times for writing opinion pieces for other media outlets. So, no, it’s not just Ms. Magnusson.
The BBC clearly labels blogs written for its own sites as ‘comment’ and that the content may not reflect BBC opinion. However, it should go further and either allow its journalists to write whatever they like elsewhere (so long as its not illegal or brings the BBC into disrepute), or make sure their contract doesn’t allow them to write for other outlets.
As for Robert Peston. Can’t stand him. The way he plunges his hand into his trouser pocket and has a good rummage as soon as the camera starts running, and then that weird diction where every word is incorrectly stressed. The man must have learned English from someone with an acute hernia.
Mike.
* He who went after the Icelandic President last week.
Thanks all.
The man must have learned English from someone with an acute hernia. — heheheh.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Alda! I feel an email to the BBC Trust coming on.
Peston has connection with the government, which I suppose you’d expect from a new journalist.
The BBC is laughably biased in favour of the Labour party. Anyone who has had the misfortune to watch ‘BBC News 24′ can tell you that.
At best, BBC news is school yard hyperbole , it’s pathetic. Sky News, though not brilliant, is at least a reasonably fair news outlet.
The BBC will of course be starting to worry: their friends in government stand a good chance of being voted out, and the finances of the whole bloated organisation will come up for scruitiny I’m sure.
There is a role for public service broadcasting in the UK, the BBC have abused it with their bias.
Silly question, the woman is a blond!
I really do think that the BBC is making a fair sized mountain out of the tiniest of molehills. If Sally Magnusson had used her news report to preach to the people about the government’s mistreatment of Iceland, then they would be quite right to be upset. But she replied to a ‘talk piece’ in a newspaper, for goodness sake!
This is really about pecking order. She is a middle-aged mother who reads news for BBC Scotland and wasn’t educated at either Oxford or Cambridge University, and all five of these points tell against her. Auntie Beeb has to be seen to be impartial, and occasional public wrist slappings like this help to maintain that illusion.
By the way… Sally Magnusson is a splendid author, and her recent DREAMING OF ICELAND is a real corker. Advert over!
I would have expected nothing less from the daughter of Magnus Magnusson. She is just voicing the feelings of many in the UK. Don’t worry Sally, your dad would be proud of you.
Hi Alda, it takes a lot for me to get worked up enough to comment, but Robert Peston described as “ruggedly handsome” is surely some mistake?!
The BBC is not unlike any other company in the UK or elsewhere. And when someone offers a controversial opinion in a public forum, and especially if she is a woman (and therefore deemed unqualified – yes, prejudice still exists). To add insult to injury, this woman may well be biased, given her ancestral background!
A sex-operation would have helped, but maybe not enough. The time when news-anchors were cast as thorough journalists is well behind us. Now they just need to be a pretty face that can read the text appearing in front of them. Not my opinion, but broadcast management opinion.
Tais-toi et sois belle!
I don’t think you should overdo the pecking order jibe as far as Sally is concerned. She is NOT just a speakerine on regional news. Look at her wiki entry, and also her dad’s. With her siblings she is part of one of the leading broadcasting dynasties in Scotland. So why is she getting it in the neck? I’d go with residual nu-labour touchiness at the Beeb (god knows why they’d want still to cosy up to that shower after the Hutton Enquiry etc…)
Robert Peston described as “ruggedly handsome” is surely some mistake?!
Heheh. OK, what do I know, I’ve never seen the guy. Just going by his headshot on the blog and, you know, he doesn’t look that bad.
BBC?
))
This is the most balanced, the most independent, the most tolerant media CORPORATION in the world.
I’m surprised you didn’t know
It’s a well-established fact here in the UK that the term “BBC neutrality” has become an oxymoron.
You have to judge them by their status and fore bearers to the bbc.
Magnusson had a remarkable father seen often on the bbc but she works in Scotland and is a woman.
Peston is the son of a NuLabor Lord and comes up with delicious titbits of financial information from “inside” sources, and in spite of his ridiculous presentation, vocabulary, and delivery is considered valuable by the bbc.
Personally, I think I would describe Robert Peston as ‘prissily effete’. Mike’s comment that he must have ‘learnt English from someone with an acute hernia’ is spot on and highly amusing. Robert Peston can mangle the spoken word almost as badly as Brian Sewell.
I always rather liked Sally Magnusson but she must be the wrong side of 50 these days therefore as she is a woman the BBC are probably looking for a reason to pension her off. Of course, if she was male she’d still be presenting until well into old age. Double standards at the BBC – never!!