The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
Aug 29, 2021
Just over a quarter of people (27 per cent) think GB News is biased, compared to 42 per cent who think BBC News is, a poll has revealed. Well, a poll commissioned by GB News themselves, that is.
In news which is not really news when you think about it, The Telegraph also reported that one in three people (34 per cent) surveyed by research company CT Group branded the corporation as “woke” – a term meaning “alert to injustice” which has since been used as a pejorative adjective by right-wingers.
Writing on Twitter, Insider reporter Henry Dyer noted that the chief executive of CT Group is none other than Lynton Crosby, an Australian political strategist noted for helping Boris Johnson to win two successive terms as Mayor of London, and assisting David Cameron to secure a victory in the 2015 general election.
Dyer also went on to add that CT Group isn’t even a member of the British Polling Council, which “promotes transparency in polling”. Its president is Professor John Curtice, a pollster well-known for appearing on BBC News during their coverage of general elections.
The polling is also by CT Group, Lynton Crosby's lobbying firm and political consultancy. Which, er, isn't on the British Polling Council.— Henry Dyer (@Henry Dyer) 1630173299
The integrity of the poll, reportedly of 1,000 people, has since been scrutinised and ridiculed by Twitter users online:
@Direthoughts @MrNishKumar "Shock Find: Biased Poll into Bias Demonstrates Bias. Experts Stunned: "We Just Don't K… https://t.co/XTdbAVGaRt— Erwotin Reotar (@Erwotin Reotar) 1630231291
@Direthoughts @garwboy You don't find out if something is biased by asking general public. They will percieve it ac… https://t.co/Yuwwt4HbIO— Dale Miller (@Dale Miller) 1630230170
@Direthoughts Probably 65% of respondents said, "WTF is GB News"?— Socially Distant David (@Socially Distant David) 1630173529
@Direthoughts 27% said "GB News is biased" 2% said "GB News is not biased" 71% said "What the fuck is GB News?"— Andrew James Carter (@Andrew James Carter) 1630195540
@Direthoughts My survey found 100% of respondents believed GB News to be biased. 100% of respondents also believe t… https://t.co/vB1nHPcpiD— easy-peasy (@easy-peasy) 1630225348
@Direthoughts When a business spends a disproportionate amount of time slagging off its competitors, it is is a sur… https://t.co/rGeiy2Hm0E— Ritchie (@Ritchie) 1630222480
Poll commissioned by GB News finds that GB News is less biased than the BBC. Fancy that, eh. https://t.co/LbJFS6VME0— Roland Smith (@Roland Smith) 1630173460
Also I'm better looking than George Clooney, a poll by er me finds...https://t.co/3SCvb6Iey9— matt johnston #RejoinEU #3.5% (@matt johnston #RejoinEU #3.5%) 1630223556
Others questioned the legitimacy of the headline, with others noting that there was a lack of detail about what questions people were actually add. One Twitter user also pointed out that the survey refers to people “thinking” that the news service is biased, which isn’t the same as a fact:
@Direthoughts @bethanymrd That is quite the headline too— Jem Collins (@Jem Collins) 1630191358
@Jem_Collins @Direthoughts @bethanymrd Headline and subhead actually say 2 quite different things, although we are… https://t.co/cY7cCLb9ku— Brother Brutha (@Brother Brutha) 1630223173
@Direthoughts Headline is a lie as well. The research did not find the bbc is biased. At best, it found that some p… https://t.co/7shZvzcjRc— Jonathan Andrew (@Jonathan Andrew) 1630230058
@jonandrew10 @Direthoughts In fact, more people thought it was not biased than biased— Bibster (@Bibster) 1630233377
@Direthoughts It's also reporting this as though it's fact, rather than a baseless opinion poll of GB News viewers.— L. T. Hewitt (@L. T. Hewitt) 1630202601
This isn’t the first time that GB News has been mocked for poor statistics, either, after people ridiculed its statement that “most of our viewers live outside London”.
It’s a fact which sounds impressive, until you realise that only 13.4 per cent of the UK’s total population lives inside London – according to Eurostat research from 2019.
People have since poked fun at the news channel’s tweet, given its presenters often criticise what they call the “metropolitan elite”:
@GBNEWS So 20% of your audience is in London. London has 13.4% of the UK population. So your viewership is far mo… https://t.co/OJNh9mjfJI— SP (@SP) 1629650139
@GBNEWS Given that 85%+ of the UK population live OUTSIDE London and each of the other TV channels will have simila… https://t.co/brtLZL6rLA— DavidLikesGuys (@DavidLikesGuys) 1629980976
@GBNEWS 88% of the population lives outside London so you are getting a disproportionate higher viewership from London!— TheSilentMajority (@TheSilentMajority) 1629626292
@GBNEWS Most folk live outside London ✔ Breaking news for @GBNEWS fans ? https://t.co/kf0wol4lyN— Bob not Rob (@Bob not Rob) 1629627780
tell me your viewers are more likely to live in London than the average british person without telling me that your… https://t.co/YJoCV7BdVF— Luke Bailey (@Luke Bailey) 1629971886
Essentially, GB News should probably stop commissioning and analysing data, stat.
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