How important is journalistic balance in 2014? The days when people believed journalism is impartial are long gone.
But some issues are rather settled and BBC journalists are being sent on courses to train them to stop inviting so many cranks onto to air ‘marginal views’ as balance. The BBC Trust was criticized in 2012 for giving too much air-time to critics who oppose non-contentious issues in science, and this was due to an ‘over-rigid application of editorial guidelines on impartiality’ which sought to give the ‘other side’ of the argument, even if that viewpoint was widely dismissed.
This is much different than when The Royal Society tried in 2005 to pressure journalists not to talk to anyone who disagreed with the climate change consensus. Instead, the BBC doesn't want to waste anyone's time with marginal opinion on things that are settled.
BBC staff told to stop inviting cranks on to science programmes by Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph
