Bias complaints

The request was refused by British Broadcasting Corporation.

Dear British Broadcasting Corporation,

Please can you provide details of the volume of complaints of bias received relates to:
1. Overly Pro-Scottish Independence content bias; and
2. Overly Pro-Unionist (relating to Scotland) content bias.

I would like this information relating to each calendar year to date since 2012 please.

Yours faithfully,

Jim Thomas
Fans Without Scarves

FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

Dear Jim,

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as detailed in your email below. Your request was received on 18/02/19. We will deal with your request as promptly as possible, and at the latest within 20 working days. If you have any queries about your request, please contact us at the address below.

The reference number for your request is RFI20190303.

Kind regards,

Information Rights

BBC Freedom of Information
BC2 A4, Broadcast Centre
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TP

www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: [BBC request email]

Tel: 020 8008 2882

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FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

2 Attachments

Dear Jim Thomas,

                                            

Please find attached the response to your request for information,
reference RFI20190303.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Rights

 

BBC Freedom of Information

BC2 A4, Broadcast Centre

201 Wood Lane

London W12 7TP

 

Website: [1]www.bbc.co.uk/foi

Email: [2]mailto:[BBC request email]

[3]Description: Description: \\BBCFS2025\UserData$\myrien01\Documents\My
Pictures\BBC.png

 

 

 

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References

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1. file:///tmp/www.bbc.co.uk/foi
2. mailto:[BBC request email]
4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Dear FOI Enquiries,

Information held relating to complaints is not held for journalistic purposes. It is held for internal management and performance control purposes. I’m hopeful that your previous response is in error and the requested information will now be provided. If you continue to hold this view though, please do advise in order that I can take the matter up with the ICO.

Yours sincerely,

Jim Thomas

Dear FOI Enquiries,

For the avoidance of doubt, my previous reply was a request for a review of the decision. I thought it best to remind you in order to ensure this review takes place in the time frames permitted.

Yours sincerely,

Jim Thomas

FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

Dear Jim Thomas,

Thank you for your further correspondence. Apologies for the lack of response to your email dated 14 March 2019.

As advised in our response, the BBC does not offer an internal review when the information requested is not covered by the Act. If you disagree with our decision you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. Contact details are: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or +44 1625 545 700 (national rate) or see http://www.ico.org.uk

Yours sincerely,

Information Rights

BBC Freedom of Information
BC2 A4, Broadcast Centre
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TP

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Dear FOI Enquiries,

I wrote to you previously, though you appear to have mistakenly interpreted my request as relating to exempt information (journalism). Please treat this as a new request and I will set out more clearly what I would like.

My concerns relate to expressions of opinion by members of the public, not relating to journalistic integrity or editorial policy. I do not require any justifications or explanations - just raw data on public opinion as provided to you which is not covered by exemption.

I would like to know numbers of people who have complained for the purposes of statistical awareness of public opinion on state broadcasting.

Please can you provide statistics of the volume of complaints of bias received related to:
1. Overly Pro-Scottish Independence content bias; and
2. Overly Pro-Unionist (relating to Scotland) content bias.

I would like this information relating to each calendar year to date since 2012 please.

Yours sincerely,

Jim Thomas

FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

Dear Jim,

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as detailed in your email below. Your request was received on 29/04/19. We will deal with your request as promptly as possible, and at the latest within 20 working days. If you have any queries about your request, please contact us at the address below.

The reference number for your request is RFI20190757.

Kind regards,

Information Rights

BBC Freedom of Information
BC2 A4, Broadcast Centre
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TP

www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: [BBC request email]

Tel: 020 8008 2882

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FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Thomas,

 

Please find attached our response to your request for information
reference RFI20190757.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Rights, BBC Legal

BC2A4 | Broadcast Centre | 201 Wood Lane | London | W12 7TP

[1]Description: \\BBCFS2025\UserData$\myrien01\Documents\My
Pictures\BBC.png

 

 

 

 

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Dear British Broadcasting Corporation,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of British Broadcasting Corporation's handling of my FOI request 'Bias complaints'.

The request was unfairly refused on the basis of journalistic exemption, when it related to quantatitive historic data relating to the views of members of the public, as they related to historic events which have no ongoing relevance to journalistic, artistic or literary reasons save for possible prospective decisions relating to content which I am not requesting information on.

The journalistic exemptions are being unfairly used to avoid providing historical statistical data that includes no information needing journalistic protections (I am an NUJ member and do understand what this entails) for the purposes of avoiding scrutiny.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/b...

Yours faithfully,

Jim Thomas

FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

1 Attachment

Dear Jim Thomas,

 

Thank you for your further correspondence.

 

As advised in our response, the BBC does not offer an internal review when
the information requested is not covered by the Act. If you disagree with
our decision you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. Contact
details are: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or +44
1625 545 700 (national rate) or see [1]http://www.ico.org.uk

                                            

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Rights

 

BBC Freedom of Information

BC2 A4, Broadcast Centre

201 Wood Lane

London W12 7TP

 

[2]cid:image001.png@01D2EE68.C9C0F040

 

 

 

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Dear FOI Enquiries,

I’ve already contacted the ICO thank you. Thought asking you to revisit was only polite.

Yours sincerely,

Jim Thomas