BBC complaints

[james armstrong]

FROM                                                                             
TO James Armstrong 

BBC Audience Services

 

30th April, 
 2012 

 

 

Dear Mr Armstrong,

We have been considering the
many complaints you have submitted over the past five years’ regarding BBC
Radio 4 Programme Farming Today to the central BBC complaints unit, to the  Farming Today ‘team and the BBC Radio 4
Controller’s`office directly.

 

Looking at your correspondence
, most are claiming that Farming Today 
is strongly influenced by the National Farmers Union and that this
impacts the programme’s reporting of the Common Agricultural Policy.

 

 

However ,as explained on countless
occasions ,  we have explained
that`Farming Today  Producers are all BBC
employees  and all the editorial decisions
are made by BBC Producers.

 And supervised by BBC editors , in line with
the BBC’s editorial guidelines .

 

In our view , therefore this
correspondence now represents a disproportionate use of  BBC staff time  and consequently of our limited licence fee
resources..

  
 

Andrew Martin

 

Complaints advisir,

BBC Complaints 

 

 

My Reply 

 

 

Dear Mr Martin,                                                                                                               
16 May 2012

 

 

Thankyou for your letter
of  30th April.

 

The case is indeed that
“Farming Today is strongly influenced by NFU and that it impacts the reporting
of the CAP.

 

Since receiving your letter I
have learned that BBC Farming Today producer,(editor/presenter?) Ms Fran Barnes
has left BBC to take up employment with NFU.    
Perhaps this is news to you? 

 

I understand she is the second
Farming Today senior executive  to do so.

That Farming Today producers
are BBC employees hardly answers the above allegations.

 

 

The replies I received in the
past from BBC invariably don’t answer 
the  points I raised and so I will


 be 
delighted not to receive further such replies from BBC Complaints since
this was not the aim of my  letters.

My aim was for BBC to end the
weekly  appearances of spokesperson with undeclared
personal interests,  of  a commercial corporation with an undeclared
£1billion  interest  (my estimate of  NFU members' yearly CAP subsidies cheques )

 

As journalists out for an
exclusive, the FT editorial staff you speak of will want to ask the NFU President
to give a more informed estimate  than mine of   £1bn in
CAP payments.

 

It would also be revealing to
listeners to hear on air the  turnover
and the capitalisation of NFU so they don’t mix up  £millionaires CAP receivers  
with dog and stick farmers .

  

 Would you please ask Farming
Today to supply me  details of the other  FT
exec who jumped ship and joined  the good
ship  NFU?

 

Thankyou for your always
courteous handling of my complaints.  

Yours  faithfully 

     

 

JA

  

 		 	   		  
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