BBC Countryfile on wind turbines and editorial standards

Today’s feature on Onshore Wind Turbines shown by BBC in Countryfile shows pictures of wind turbines, interviews with people for and against (some of them very emotional). The reporter is shown on top of a wind turbine. Very nice. The Countryfile website links to a map of operational and projected sites from Renewable UK. But nobody has thought about asking the simple question: “If you really don’t want a wind turbine within sight of your village, would you prefer a nuclear, coal or gas powered generator? Wouldn’t that be an eyesore? And, do you realise that, even if those conventional generators are not within the sacrosanct sight of your village, you would still get the pollution generated by their activity?” No, no trace of questions like that. It’s not a matter of taking sides, it’s a matter of exploring more than one side of an issue, just decent journalism.

Or, for that matter, show as well existing or projected nuclear and thermal plants on the Renewable UK map, which would make the map more useful. Bur then, information doesn’t seem to be part of the equation, it’s more about proving a point.

 

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