I am one of the 33,375 signatories who petitioned the BBC to sack its Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg because of her anti-Labour bias. The 38 Degrees petition was taken down the day before being denounced by David Cameron at PMQs on 11 May 2016 as "Sexist".
I am not a misogynist, nor do I believe are the vast majority of the petition signers. If there is any evidence of this "Sexist Abuse", 38 Degrees is obliged to convey full details individually to each signatory.
Why is this important?
I remember John Cole, John Sargent, Nick Robinson, Jon Snow, John Simpson, Faisal Islam, Robert Peston, Adam Boulton, Andrew Marr, and probably quite a few more. All great, honest, professional Political Editors for various channels. They all had their own Political leanings, but were scrupulously fair and unbiased in their presentation.
Laura Kuenssberg is not of the same ilk. Ms Kuenssberg is unprofessional, inaccurate and completely biased in her musings. Every little spat in the Labour Party is a disaster. Every last tweet by any Labour back bencher is the death knell for Jeremy Corbyn.
Ms Kuenssberg engineers her own News. When Stephen Doughty let slip he was going to resign before an episode of the Daily Politics, the BBC presenter, Andrew Neil and Ms Kuenssberg arranged for Mr Doughty to resign on air, just before then going to watch PMQs in the House of Commons.
I find it very difficult to understand how some people are seemingly OK with this behaviour. This is a Senior BBC Journalist admitting that she “arranged” a News event! Her explanation was that it fitted into the News cycle and that it was an “opportunity”? Political Editors are NOT supposed to create the News.
Can anyone imagine John Simpson, John Cole or Nick Robinson suggesting that they help orchestrate an on-air resignation? Even if, as some suggest, Ms Kuenssberg was being criticised in a sexist way, this does not hold up under investigation. Would Kate Adie or Lyse Doucet have behaved in the same way as Ms Kuenssberg? I very much doubt it. Both are extremely experienced Journalists used to reporting in a balanced and straight forward way from war zones, rather than a comfortable studio.
Even the article by David Babbs, Co-Founder of 38 Degrees, in the Guardian today, has had its Comments locked out, on the same day it was published!
It seems any criticism of the way Ms Kuenssberg does her “job” is not permissible.
If 33,375 peoples' criticism of the BBC's Political Editor can be brushed away so very easily, what is the point of signing Petitions? I think 38 Degrees has made a very expensive mistake that will come back to haunt it. What is the point of a Petition Website that crumbles over outside pressure?
