A recent (ok, August) report on This Is Money (originally from the Daily Mail – who own ThisIsMoney, Metro and many other publications) states quite clearly in their headline “BBC not value for money, say 47%” and continues with “Nearly half of the public think the BBC does not represent good value for money, a survey has revealed”
In the 6th paragraph, the survey results are shown to be “47% disagree that the corporation represented ‘good value for money'” – so 53% agreed that it does represent value for money*: so the headline should “BBC IS value for money, say 53%”.
(* = yes, I know that it could also mean that 53% either agreed or had no opinion, but without the details of they survey – whose source is unnamed – I can’t say for certain).
The biased survey/poll then goes on the “ONLY 41% agree that the licence fee is an ‘appropriate’ way of funding it” – again, it makes it sound like more people are against the licence fee than for it – but continuing the paragraph shows than only 37% are against the licence fee.
Talk about “getting the headlines you want!”
The BBC itself has an article on it’s website about What the survey didn’t say which illustrates other examples of biased survey results.
Does God really exist? It’ll be down to the Advertising Standards Authority to decide…
As you may be aware, the British Humanist Association’s “There is probably no God” bus advert campaign was reported to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority for being “offensive and denigratory to people of faith” and “challenged whether the ad was misleading because the advertiser would not be able to substantiate its claim that God “probably” does not exist” (see the ASA’s update where they said it was “not in breach of the advertising code” and “the ad was an expression of the advertiser’s opinion”) in the BHA’s “There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” bus adverts.
I now wonder if the ASA will receive, and take action, against the Russian Orthodox Church, the Christian Party and Trinitarian Bible Society for stating “There definitely is a God”, “There definitely is a God; so join the Christian Party and enjoy your life.” and “There IS a God, BELIEVE. Don’t worry and enjoy your life.” in their own bus adverts. Source: BBC News and Daily Mail.
I just hope that all of those three organisations can, with their statement of fact (“definitely is a god” and “There IS a God”), can substantiate the existence of God to the Advertising Standards board – and the fact that their advertisement would be offensive and denigratory to people of other faiths and those who do not believe in the existence of God.