Calm Down Dear, It's Only A BBC Downturn

Crisis, what crisis? Recession what recession? According to the BBC, it's just a little 'downturn'. All part of the BBC's dumbed down day long Orwellian coverage of the disturbing downturn.

Brown's BBC is devoting a whole day's news coverage to the 'downturn'. The logo and message is being splashed all over the place. 

Sure the words 'crisis' and 'recession' pop up but you can't escape that darn word downturn. It's everywhere. In the headlines, the logo, sprinkled in the copy, probably in the coffee and even in the URL of the BBC 'downturn' home page. 

Orwellian use of a state broadcaster for government propaganda worked in 1984. But only in the novel. And this dear BBC is 2008. 

This kind of hidden persuasion from Packard's hidden persuaders is as old as the hills. If you use the word often enough and hard enough maybe some people will actually believe it. But not any more. 

People are more media savvy than in the days of Packard and Orwell. There's a thing called the internet and a very healthy political blogsphere. No one is fooled by this blatant bias and spin. 

After yesterday's scandal of the lies and deceit over fixed crime figures, trust in this government has again been blown out of the water. 

The shameful way the BBC wet its knickers over the Osborne saga while burying the Mandelson side, showed up the political bias. 

This downturn debacle will do nothing to restore any kind of trust in the government or the BBC. Why not just call a spade a spade and have done with it? Coming out in the open and telling it just the way it is, actually gains respect.

The devil is in the detail of the way the BBC justifies the use of the word 'downturn' and the way BBC editors are falling over themselves to cover for themselves. 

Apparently we're not in a recession - yet - and until we are officially, we have to put up with a little downturn. Though it all gets rather cock-eyed as "Recession looming" and "Recession fears" are the headlines running alongside the 'downturn' on the  BBC website. All very confusing.

But is the BBC down in the dumps over the use of the word 'downturn'? Is it heck. 

BBC business and economics unit editor, Jeremy Hillman, has come up with this lame and patronising  excuse:

"We may well be in a recession but we won't get any official confirmation of that for a while yet. A recession is two quarters of negative growth and as soon as we're in one you'll hear it from us."

The Orange Party can't wait.