Independent Leyton Orient Forum

Our national broadcaster, the BBC, is becoming more and more dysfunctional.

Today, BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake has said an “overwhelmingly white” working environment is affecting his mental health. The presenter told a journalism diversity conference on Wednesday: “It’s really affecting me that I walk in and all I see is white people.”

Not to mention numerous examples of inaccurate and misleading coverage of the Israel/Gaza war.

Much of its output remains excellent when it steers clear of certain areas, but the bias of its news/politics output and general wokery in many areas is damaging its credibility.

What's woke about its news coverage? It's pure establishment.

faldO wrote: ↑Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:58 pm Our national broadcaster, the BBC, is becoming more and more dysfunctional.

Today, BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake has said an “overwhelmingly white” working environment is affecting his mental health. The presenter told a journalism diversity conference on Wednesday: “It’s really affecting me that I walk in and all I see is white people.”

Not to mention numerous examples of inaccurate and misleading coverage of the Israel/Gaza war.

Much of its output remains excellent when it steers clear of certain areas, but the bias of its news/politics output and general wokery in many areas is damaging its credibility.

Surely this is racism . Why is the left so quiet ? Anyway its high time the BBC lost its licence money and started advertising for its revenue like every other tv company .

Has anyone got an actual quote of what he said, and is there any broader context?

He featured on the excellent Winter Walks series on BBC4 last night. Where he revealed he'd recently moved to Cumbria. If his workplace is affect his mental heath, then just wait 'till he heads home.

Dunners wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 6:57 am Has anyone got an actual quote of what he said, and is there any broader context?

He featured on the excellent Winter Walks series on BBC4 last night. Where he revealed he'd recently moved to Cumbria. If his workplace is affect his mental heath, then just wait 'till he heads home.

What I posted above is a direct quote from a journalism diversity conference which Arthanayake spoke at yesterday, as reported in multiple sources.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/medi ... 55646.html

Agree about Winter Walks being excellent btw, Richard Coles and Kate Botley were equally good. That's what I find so infuriating about the BBC, that they do so much very well. If only they'd stop trying to push their agenda onto everyone.

Nihal is pretty sound. Can't imagine why some people have a problem with him....?

RedDwarf 1881 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 29, 2023 11:15 pm Anyway its high time the BBC lost its licence money and started advertising for its revenue like every other tv company .

Or just sell it off to another far-right billionaire media baron, save the hassle.

Reading that article (and I admit that I'm having to do a fair bit of reading between the lines here), I think he's trying to make points about how the prevailing culture of Britain increasingly asserts itself (and any other forms of representation diminish) as you progress up any corporate structure, and that beyond the confines of modern metropolitan centres you still encounter overt racism. Which is a fair enough observation, if that is what he's trying to get at.

But the rational response to criticism of a lack of Muslims (or any other religious representation at senior level) should be; You can choose to identify yourself through a superstitious belief if you want to, but you do not get to demand that the rest of society does. I appreciate that the Equalities Act may disagree with me, but I'm right and it is wrong, so there.

faldO wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:04 am

Dunners wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 6:57 am Has anyone got an actual quote of what he said, and is there any broader context?

He featured on the excellent Winter Walks series on BBC4 last night. Where he revealed he'd recently moved to Cumbria. If his workplace is affect his mental heath, then just wait 'till he heads home.

What I posted above is a direct quote from a journalism diversity conference which Arthanayake spoke at yesterday, as reported in multiple sources.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/medi ... 55646.html

Agree about Winter Walks being excellent btw, Richard Coles and Kate Botley were equally good. That's what I find so infuriating about the BBC, that they do so much very well. If only they'd stop trying to push their agenda onto everyone.

I don't see how a BBC journalist talking about his personal experience of working at the beeb at a conference on diversity in journalism is the organisation pushing an agenda.

Dunners wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 9:14 am
But the rational response to criticism of a lack of Muslims (or any other religious representation at senior level) should be; You can choose to identify yourself through a superstitious belief if you want to, but you do not get to demand that the rest of society does. I appreciate that the Equalities Act may disagree with me, but I'm right and it is wrong, so there.

Have you been hacked?

Watching Dunnem get online radicalised in real-time.

I've always been sceptical of utilising identity politics, especially on religious grounds, to further any argument. I've also always been anti-religious, as I think it's all bonkers. I'm happy for people to practice their own private beliefs in, well, private, but it doesn't belong in politics, education, the workplace etc. And yes, I'm happy to begin with the abolishment of Church of England schools and Bishops in the House of Lords if it makes the identarian left feel more at ease. But I ain't stopping there. I'm coming for the rest of you eventually.

Obviously, enacting my policies may be met with some resistance. So I'll need to suspend democracy and get the police and armed forces to swear allegiance to me personally. Just while I sort the whole thing out. But I promise to put it all back as it was once I'm finished.

Hoover Attack wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:59 am Nihal is pretty sound. Can't imagine why some people have a problem with him....?

Apart from being racist , of course .

Mistadobalina wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 10:08 am I don't see how a BBC journalist talking about his personal experience of working at the beeb at a conference on diversity in journalism is the organisation pushing an agenda.

The conference was hosted in partnership with the BBC so it's reasonable to assume the BBC is onboard with the general gist of what is being said at that conference.

The said BBC journalist also represented the organisation that employs him, he was not speaking in an individual capacity, though obviously he was describing his personal experience.

I think that's the thing. He is giving his own personal observations, which he's entitled to do. And, as a respected and experienced presenter, his observations will be of interest. I don't think there's anything wrong with the BBC co-hosting an event like this, as it's clearly done in the interest of supporting others into the industry.

Dunners wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 11:29 am I've always been sceptical of utilising identity politics, especially on religious grounds, to further any argument. I've also always been anti-religious, as I think it's all bonkers. I'm happy for people to practice their own private beliefs in, well, private, but it doesn't belong in politics, education, the workplace etc. And yes, I'm happy to begin with the abolishment of Church of England schools and Bishops in the House of Lords if it makes the identarian left feel more at ease. But I ain't stopping there. I'm coming for the rest of you eventually.

Sales of Vidal Sassoon 'russet' and 'strawberry blonde' hairdye go through the roof as people desperately try to survive the purge.

RedDwarf 1881 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 11:37 am

Hoover Attack wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:59 am Nihal is pretty sound. Can't imagine why some people have a problem with him....?

Apart from being racist , of course .

It could be the racists having a problem with him I guess, I hadn't thought of that.

faldO wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 11:40 am

Mistadobalina wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 10:08 am I don't see how a BBC journalist talking about his personal experience of working at the beeb at a conference on diversity in journalism is the organisation pushing an agenda.

The conference was hosted in partnership with the BBC so it's reasonable to assume the BBC is onboard with the general gist of what is being said at that conference.

The said BBC journalist also represented the organisation that employs him, he was not speaking in an individual capacity, though obviously he was describing his personal experience.

These sort of events are pretty standard in private and public sector, and are generally in response to employee demand for more conversations around the topic. There'll be similar things on gender and LGBT rights and treatment in the workplace.

This feels very snowflakey of you.

Mistadobalina wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 12:53 pm This feels very snowflakey of you.

Nihal Arthanayake says seeing lots of white people at work is really affecting his mental health and it's me who is the snowflake!

I've looked at what he's said. You're attacking the BBC for it forcing an 'agenda' down your throat. Your evidence? A journalist criticising the BBC for not being progressive enough.

Sounds like they are walking the middle ground quite well.

Hoover Attack wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 12:02 pm

RedDwarf 1881 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 11:37 am

Hoover Attack wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:59 am Nihal is pretty sound. Can't imagine why some people have a problem with him....?

Apart from being racist , of course .

It could be the racists having a problem with him I guess, I hadn't thought of that.

Who mentioned race , he did . Stop trying to deflect the criticism

faldO wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 1:21 pm

Mistadobalina wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 12:53 pm This feels very snowflakey of you.

Nihal Arthanayake says seeing lots of white people at work is really affecting his mental health and it's me who is the snowflake!

Your reaction to this is very snowflakey, yes.

RedDwarf 1881 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 1:46 pm

Hoover Attack wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 12:02 pm

RedDwarf 1881 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 11:37 am

Apart from being racist , of course .

It could be the racists having a problem with him I guess, I hadn't thought of that.

Who mentioned race , he did . Stop trying to deflect the criticism

It was a journalism diversity conference, I'm going to guess race was mentioned quite a few times...

Mistadobalina wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 1:32 pm I've looked at what he's said. You're attacking the BBC for it forcing an 'agenda' down your throat. Your evidence? A journalist criticising the BBC for not being progressive enough.

Sounds like they are walking the middle ground quite well.

Pushing an agenda (what I said) and "forcing an 'agenda' down your throat" (what you said) are two different things.

Nihal Arthanayake is a highly paid BBC journalist, and for him to say that his mental health is affected because all he sees is white people when he walks into work is unacceptable, whatever the context.