BBC's "redness"

Posted by Shae on May 14, 2003

In Reply to: BBC's "redness" posted by Celia on May 14, 2003

: Hi,

: I have some trouble in understaning the bracketed sentences. Could anyone do me a favor?

: By the end of 1934, changes were underway to turn BBC News into an independent department, a move designed, in part, to further encourage public confidence in its corporate ethic of neutrality. The separation of News from teh Talks Department was linked, in part, to charges of 'bias' being made against the latter department. (If newspaper commentators framed the new division as the BBC's 'Answer to Tory Suspicions of Radicalism', whithin the corporation 'it was seen as a result of a sustainted campaign by the righ-wing press against alleged BBC "redness"'.)

: Thanks a lot.

: Celia

The colour red is associated with Communist or other left-wing policies, so 'alleged BBC "redness"' means that the BBC was perceived as being supportive of left-wing policies rather than as impartial.