BBC ‘manipulative,’ needs to be democratized: Loach
Prominent British filmmaker Ken Loach has blasted the BBC for its “manipulative” news, calling the network a “rotten” place for directors.
“The BBC is very aware of its role in shaping people’s consciousness; this is the story you should hear about, these are the people worth listening to. It’s manipulative and deeply political,” he said in Radio Times interview on Monday.
The renowned director, who is currently promoting his Palme d’Or-winning film about a man’s struggle with the UK benefits system "I, Daniel Blake," said it was necessary to “democratize” the media corporation.
Despite making his latest film in partnership with the BBC, Loach implied that the network had lost its appetite for socially conscious TV drama.
“Even then, people overstated how much of it there was. Anyway, now the drama is produced by outside production companies and horribly micro-managed. The directors I know in television say it’s a nightmare. That’s true for all the broadcasters, but the BBC is a rotten place for a director,” he continued.
The fiery comments did not go unnoticed by BBC officials, who reacted by describing the company as a “trusted and accurate news provider.”
“BBC News is independent and adheres to clear published editorial guidelines including on impartiality. The BBC is consistently rated the most trusted and accurate news provider by the majority of people in the UK,” a spokeswoman for the channel said.
This was not the first time that the Labour-leaning director was going on a tirade against the BBC.
During a speech at University College London last month, he criticized the BBC for its bias against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, describing the network as a “propaganda” arm of the state adopting a “pretense of objectivity.”
Corbyn himself attacked the network’s unfair coverage against him in June, in the buildup to a European Union (EU) referendum that led to Britain departure from the bloc.
“There is not one story on any election anywhere in the UK that the BBC will not spin into a problem for me. It is obsessive beyond belief. They are obsessed with trying to damage the leadership of the Labour party,” the opposition leader said.
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