Stephen Cushion
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stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion
@stephencushion.bsky.social
230 followers 96 following 200 posts

Professor of journalism & political communication at Cardiff University & night time πŸš– for my kids

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Communication & Media Studies 60%
Political science 20%
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stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 5d
Great summary of our Caerphilly by election media study πŸ‘‡
perkinskeighley.bsky.social Dr Keighley Perkins @perkinskeighley.bsky.social Β· 5d
The Caerphilly by-election highlighted a significant moment in Welsh politics.

The result prompted wider discussion about party support ahead of the 2026 Senedd election & how political developments in Wales are interpreted across the UK.

πŸ”— tinyurl.com/3zbpujtn

πŸ§΅πŸ‘‡

#impartiality #byelection
Caerphilly by-election: Why Wales fell out of love with Labour
Now Labour faces its toughest task yet in Wales - convincing voters to keep believing, ahead of the 2026 Senedd election
tinyurl.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

perkinskeighley.bsky.social
Dr Keighley Perkins @perkinskeighley.bsky.social Β· 5d
The Caerphilly by-election highlighted a significant moment in Welsh politics.

The result prompted wider discussion about party support ahead of the 2026 Senedd election & how political developments in Wales are interpreted across the UK.

πŸ”— tinyurl.com/3zbpujtn

πŸ§΅πŸ‘‡

#impartiality #byelection
Caerphilly by-election: Why Wales fell out of love with Labour
Now Labour faces its toughest task yet in Wales - convincing voters to keep believing, ahead of the 2026 Senedd election
tinyurl.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

perkinskeighley.bsky.social
Dr Keighley Perkins @perkinskeighley.bsky.social Β· 9d
A new article by @stephencushion.bsky.social for @theconversation.com highlights while the BBC is no stranger to accusations of bias, the Prescott memo is far from the rigorous assessment many assumed it to be.

πŸ”— tinyurl.com/3cx8edjp

πŸ§΅πŸ‘‡

#journalism #journalismstudies #BBC #mediareporting
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
tinyurl.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

bobhudson.bsky.social
@bobhudson.bsky.social @bobhudson.bsky.social Β· 9d
The roof is falling in at the BBC on the back of the Prescott investigation, but the report itself is badly flawed. Good piece here by @stephencushion.bsky.social.
theconversation.com/bbc-bias-the...
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

ianfraser.bsky.social
Ian Fraser @ianfraser.bsky.social Β· 9d
The Prescott memo which sparked chaos at the BBC was in no sense a rigorous, systematic or scientific document. All it did was cherrypick a few examples of alleged bias, as well as a couple of mistakes. So why isn’t the memo being put under greater scrutiny, asks @stephencushion.bsky.social?
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Stephen Cushion

waylon18.bsky.social
Robert Reiner @waylon18.bsky.social Β· 10d
theconversation.com/bbc-bias-the...
Claims of bias against the BBC in the recent furore rest on the β€˜Prescott Report’. Apart from the wrongful editing of Trump on Panorama for which the BBC has apologised the claims do not meet normal research standards, as this expert refutation shows.
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

lauraphillips.bsky.social
Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social Β· 11d
And as @stephencushion.bsky.social has written β€˜The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands’
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

raymo27.bsky.social
Raymond Deane @raymo27.bsky.social Β· 11d
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
theconversation.com/bbc-bias-the...
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

michaelsavage.bsky.social
Michael Savage @michaelsavage.bsky.social Β· 11d
NEW: What on earth happened at the BBC this week?

And why would anyone want to replace Tim Davie?

The behind the scenes concerns about this week’s impact on the BBC’s future:

www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
β€˜Not for the faint-hearted’: is running the BBC an impossible job?
After Tim Davie’s resignation, the next director general will face internal strife, external noise and looming talks over the corporation’s existence and purpose
www.theguardian.com

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
Our new @cujournmedcul.bsky.social analysis of the Prescott Memo - the research informing was not impartial. We need more rigorous and robust research πŸ‘‡

Reposted by Steve Peers, Stephen Cushion

uk.theconversation.com
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com Β· 11d
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
tcnv.link

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
For more thorough and rigorous research into the impartiality of news, do follow our @cujournmedcul.bsky.social project with @mattwalshjourno.bsky.social @perkinskeighley.bsky.social @maxwellmodell.bsky.social and myself for our latest studies. Thread Ends: www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog
Blog β€” Researching the impartiality of political news
www.enhancingimpartiality.com

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
The Prescott memo that sparked the BBC’s current crisis has not been transparent or robust in design or approach. Ultimately, the analysis itself falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands. 7/8

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
While the memo is not a peer-reviewed research paper, to allege β€œsystemic issues” you need to adopt a more systematic approach to analysing news output across a broad range of issues. 6/8

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
Leaving aside its narrow focus, , there were no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output. When the BBC has published its thematic reviews of news these details have been included 5/8: www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/...
www.bbc.com

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
As David Aaronovitch has pointed out, the memo did not include β€œa single word … about the BBC’s political, business, education, health, royalty, home affairs, climate change or crime coverage, or even Ukraine” 4/8: observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
The Prescott memo flunks the impartiality test | The Observer
observer.co.uk

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
The memo included occasional references to studies (not publicly available to read) produced by David Grossman. He prepared the reports in his role as a senior editorial adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee, but it wasn’t clear why which topics were selected. 3/8

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
While there has been widespread debate about the BBC over the last week, there has been limited scrutiny of the Prescott Memo alleging the BBC is not impartial on a range of issues 2/8: art-services.co.uk/filechute/bb...
art-services.co.uk

Reposted by Victor Pickard

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 11d
I’ve just published a new article in the @uk.theconversation.com entitled 'BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands’ Thread 1/8: theconversation.com/bbc-bias-the...
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Stephen Cushion, Justin Lewis

samiraahmeduk.bsky.social
Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social Β· 11d
Talking about the BBC News crisis to @markurban.bsky.social & former dep chief exec of BBC News Richard Ayre for latest BBC Newswatch. From midnight Fri on link or BBC1 Sat 745am www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC News - Newswatch, 15/11/2025
Your views on the coverage of events by BBC News.
www.bbc.co.uk

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 14d
Is there political bias at BBC Wales News - favouring @plaidcymru.bsky.social? Our new systematic study of the Caerphilly by-election coverage on BBC TV, online and social media found NO evidence supporting this allegation - BBC Wales broadly balanced coverage of the major parties πŸ‘‡
stephencushion.bsky.social Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 19d
UK-network coverage was largely framed around the decline of Welsh Labour & Reform’s political ascendancy. There was more balanced party coverage in national media in Wales, but the Reform by-election candidate was the most referenced during the campaign 2/10 public.flourish.studio/visualisatio...
References to Caerphilly by-election candidates on TV and Online News
A Flourish data visualization by Maxwll Modell
public.flourish.studio

Reposted by Stephen Cushion

perkinskeighley.bsky.social
Dr Keighley Perkins @perkinskeighley.bsky.social Β· 15d
Since joining the impartiality project, I’ve been been diving into debates on impartiality (trying to catch up with @stephencushion.bsky.social, @mattwalshjourno.bsky.social & @maxwellmodell.bsky.social!).

Nick Bradshaw’s new IDA piece is a must-read.

πŸ”— tinyurl.com/ycxkbu8s

πŸ§΅πŸ‘‡

#impartiality #BBC
The Explainer: What Is British Impartiality (And Can It Survive)?
How the BBC elevated impartiality to its β€œvery essence” amid documentary cancellations and regulatory pressures, and whether this embattled value can survive partisan challenges
tinyurl.com

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 15d
Important thread about how the BBC mitigates political polarisation in the πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ because it’s so widely consumed compared to the πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ where people rely on a wide range of information sources πŸ‘‡
jburnmurdoch.ft.com John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com Β· 15d
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:

One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Simon Hix, Stephen P. Jenkins , and 10 more

jburnmurdoch.ft.com
John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com Β· 15d
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:

One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 16d
I’d love to see any editorial guidelines you can send on where the importance of number of MPs is considered to be important as opposed to opinion polls

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 16d
Thanks Carl. But what do you mean by saying the result was β€œinaccurate”? We’ve not argued that the bbc was inaccurate.

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 16d
There should be more evidence based monitoring but that’s what our project is doing (see below for monitoring & survey studies). I think the bbc very conscious of criticism but how they report politics is similar to other broadcasters who don’t receive criticism: www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog
Blog β€” Researching the impartiality of political news
www.enhancingimpartiality.com

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 16d
All good debating points - the impartiality rules are flexible and open to a considerable degree of editorial discretion

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 16d
Thanks for covering. Full study can be read here @josiah.writes.news - bsky.app/profile/step...

stephencushion.bsky.social
Stephen Cushion @stephencushion.bsky.social Β· 16d
The bbc explained judgement - see below - which related to opinion polls trumping past electoral performance (no. of MPs). It would be fascinating to see past bbc guidelines to check critters had changed e.g. if importance of MPs and surveys has changed: www.bbc.co.uk/contact/comp...
BBC News, coverage of Reform UK | Contact the BBC
We've received complaints from people who feel there is too much coverage of Reform UK.
www.bbc.co.uk