October 20
2003
I don't want bias with my cornflakes (The Independent)
» Posted on October 20, 2003 12:58 AM » Category: General

You could, had you been so inclined, have read the thoughts of John Humphrys, the Today programme presenter, in his newspaper column yesterday. If the reports are to be believed, however, you may not be able to hear them on Radio 4 for much longer. Mr Humphrys is, apparently, on the point of resigning from the programme, pushed to the limit by the decision to cut a critical part of his interview on Friday with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Good. He should have been put out to grass years ago. I can barely listen to Today any more, with its reliance on Mr Humphrys' hectoring, smug, self-satisfied, argumentative tone. There may have been a time when he was indeed as good as he appears to think he is. If so, it has long since passed. Today, he has just two modes: sneering condescension and straightforward contradiction.

Remember that wonderful Monty Python argument sketch? "Shut your festering gob, you tit! Your type really makes me puke, you vacuous, coffee-nosed, malodorous pervert!" "Look, I came here for an argument." "Oh. I'm sorry. This is abuse. Try next door." Clearly, John Humphrys has made a careful study of the script: "Oh look, this isn't an argument." "Yes it is." "No it isn't. It's just contradiction." "No it isn't." "It is!" "It is not." "Look, you just contradicted me." "I did not." "You did!"

But he has moved way beyond mere contradiction and aggression, and has now entered another universe altogether, where it is John Humphrys who defines what is acceptable behaviour.

At the end of July he interviewed the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, an eminent foreign policy specialist who, although in favour of the Iraq war, is a critic of George Bush. Mr Humphrys' casual, blatant anti-American bias was paraded as if it was only rednecks who could possibly disagree. Friedman seemed genuinely taken aback. After one anti-Bush rant by the Today programme presenter, Mr Friedman interjected rather meekly: "The American people elected George Bush" - to which Humphrys replied, "Just - or possibly not, as the case may be."

Then this: "What, Thomas Friedman, could cause the Americans to pull back from this?" "From what? Iraq?" "No, this position that 'we are the masters and we can do whatever we want'." Only John Humphrys and a few hard-line anti-Bushites bother with that old chestnut any more. But then only John Humphrys is allowed to get away with his constant sneering interjections.

Take his newspaper column (it's not OK for Andrew Gilligan to write, but it is, it seems, for the master himself) after the destruction of the World Trade Centre. He criticised President Bush by writing how wrong he was to "damn those who did it as evil, as though there is nothing more to say, as though we still believe in a devil with a forked tail". But he couldn't leave it at that. At a time of unprecedented trauma for Americans, when they naturally looked to their President for leadership, he added this sneer: "Perhaps President Bush truly does - his Christianity is of a pretty fundamental variety - but most of us do not."

I am neither Christian nor American but I, like most decent people, was moved by the way many Americans' faith helped them through the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

Is there anyone left who can listen to a man whose technique is to behave as if he is prosecutor in a show trial rather than as a seeker after truth?

The Humphrys style infects the programme. Instead of calm, deliberate, thoughtful interrogation by the likes of Ed Stourton and Sarah Montague - two ridiculously under-rated presenters - the Today programme sounds, when presented by Mr Humphrys and his colleague James Naughtie, like a gratingly unpleasant competition between male egos. Testosterone rather than intellectual rigour seems to be the main precondition for preferment.

When one of the women, or less self-satisfied men, is presenting, the tone and content change for the better. Ms Montague and Martha Kearney, of Woman's Hour and Newsnight, would make a fine pairing. Both know how to ask worthwhile questions and to draw an interviewee out without sneering at them.

And if the BBC really promotes on the basis of ability rather than a sense of self-worth, why was Nick Clarke, of The World At One - the best presenter/interviewer now broadcasting, by an embarrassing long margin - not long ago made chief presenter of the Today programme? Instead, I have to pay my licence fee to have John Humphrys thrust his prejudices at me every morning.

The sooner he resigns, the better. And if it's all bluster designed simply to screw more money out of the BBC, here's some advice to the powers that be at Radio 4. Make our day. Sack him.


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Comments

Ach! Man, you had to dig out that Thomas Friedman interview didn't you? I still reckon you should turn your fire onto Channel 4 News every so often.

On the broader points, I'm inclined to agree, to an increasing extent, that Humphrys is part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

His column isn't up to much either.

I wouldn't care, the BBC DOES have some first rate presenters/interviewers, as you point out, but they don't seem to be brought to the fore; most likely because Humphrys etc have a certain cache attached to them now and the BBC likes it cheap and aggressive.

I do like Andrww Marr though. Bless 'im.

Stated by: Anthony C on October 19, 2003 10:57 PM

I wholeheartedly support your commendation of Nick Clarke. He is outstanding but unfortunately he embodies the qualities of yesterday's BBC; intelligent, incisive, illuminating - and neutral.

Stated by: Michael on October 20, 2003 7:36 AM

Hear, hear for Nick Clarke.

When I was a press officer, I did a couple of filmed news reports with him for my employer. He was scrupulous in trying to understand the issues and not afraid to reveal gaps in his understanding of an engineering issue - so that he could learn.

The comparison between him and Jonathan Dimbleby on Radio 4's 'Any Questions' and 'Any Answers' is illuminating. Dimbleby is agressive and boorish to respondents who don't toe the orthodox, BBC Lib/Lab party line.

Nick coaxes people into explaining themselves, so that more often than not views that would offend Dimbleby are contextualised and made more understandable.

As for Humphrys and Naughtie, they forced me into giving up the Today programme years ago.

Stated by: GH on October 20, 2003 8:59 AM

"coffee-nosed"? Shurely "toffee-nosed", unless this is a reference to other nose stimulant habits for which the BBC is notorious.

Stated by: dc on October 20, 2003 10:02 AM

Three hearty cheers for Nick Clarke, the man with the magnificent voice.

A keen mind, tempered by affability, 30 years experience, and one of the finest radio voices ever heard.

Excerpted from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/wato/nick.shtml

Nick Clarke was voted Radio Broadcaster of the Year by the Voice of the Listener and Viewer in 1999 - in the same year he published his best- selling biography of the radio legend, Alistair Cooke.

Dubbed "a national treasure" by one critic, Nick has been the presenter of the 'World At One' since March 1994 - after five years on 'The World This Weekend'.

Nick learnt his trade in television first as a reporter and industrial correspondent in the north-west, on 'The Money Programme'; then on 'Newsnight', where he was political correspondent and occasional presenter.

He has also been involved in a wide range of other BBC ventures - from TV documentary programmes like 'The Risk Business', to the prestigious Radio 4 series, 'Legacy of Empire'.

Nick was a regular contestant on the 'News Quiz' and now chairs 'Round Britain Quiz' on BBC Radio. He also regularly chairs 'Any Questions?' on Radio 4.

Excerpted from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/presenters/clarke_biog.shtml

"BBC programmes should regard all political statements as open to challenge. We're an independent journalistic organisation, we can't become a conduit. If the government wants a conduit it can buy air time."

Clarke quoted in The Guardian in February 1999
in response to pleas from Downing Street for a less adversarial approach

BIOGRAPHY
Nick Clarke presents The World at One. He also chairs Any Questions and Any Answers when Jonathan Dimbleby is away. He began his professional life as a journalist on The Yorkshire Post, joining the BBC in 1973 as Northern Industrial Correspondent and quickly moving on to The Money Programme. In 1984 he joined Newsnight. His first radio job was presenting The World This Weekend and he has presented The World at One since 1989. Nick also chairs Round Britain Quiz and the debate series Straw Poll for Radio 4. He has recently published a biography of the veteran writer and journalist Alistair Cooke.

Audio Samples:

The World at One: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/news.shtml?wato

JGS
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Stated by: Jonathan G. Schachter on October 20, 2003 1:20 PM

Nailed. Do you think that if war were to break out, John Humphries would move to Paris and broadcast his bile from there ? Lord Humph-Humph.

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Stated by: Franek on June 6, 2006 7:03 AM

I've always despised Humphreys & Nock-tee. I hate them so much that sometimes it makes me ill in the morning when I first hear them. By ill I mean angered and nauseous at the same time. I have written to the BBC on many occasions and have yet to receive a reply from either of the cowardly tossers. I have invited them to ring me up in the morning, during one of their Today broadcasts and get another opinion that hasn't been through their pre programme vetting, whereby they always assure themselves of a safe ride. Humphreys can no more ad lib or think 'live' than one of Bill Gates finest processors. He should be beaten thoroughly and left out in the sun for the Islamic militants to peck the flesh from his monty Burns like carcass.

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