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Operation Clambake

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Radio 4 "Thought for the Day"

Please visit Pledgebank : "Thought for the Day"

"Thought for the Day" is a slot during BBC Radio 4's "Today Programme" in which airtime is handed over to religious commentators to try to interpret world events in the context of their texts and bestow their wisdom upon us all.

The fact that this interruption occurs during the BBC's flagship radio news programme, which is otherwise supposed to apply exacting standards of evidence, makes it totally and utterly incongruous. Not only is "Thought for the Day" on during this programme, but it is given absolute peak time at approximately 7.47am, just as many people are waiting for the 8am headlines and getting ready to leave for work.

In addition, the fact that humanist, non-religious contributors, are excluded from the slot gives the impression the BBC believes morality is the exclusive remit of religious people, which is offensive, unrepresentative and untrue.

As such, "Thought for the Day" is an insult to intelligent listeners. It is high time there was a concerted campaign insisting that it either:


1) accept non-religious contributors (for example A.C. Grayling)

or

2) be removed from The Today Programme's schedule all together


During the week commencing 1st January 2009 I will email the Today Programme to object to Thought for the Day in writing - but only if 100 other people do the same.

Although the Today Programme often passes the TFTD buck to the BBC "Religion & Ethics" unit (a conflation indicative of how they view matters) we will address our mails to where the problem appears: today@bbc.co.uk

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Thought for the Day" is an insult to intelligent listeners.


Are you suggesting there are no intelligent persons of faith? How very narrow minded.

Morpheus said...

Yes, I am suggesting there are no intelligent people who willingly stick there fingers in their ears and go "I'm not listening... la la la" when the obvious fictitious nature of their late bronze age myth is explained to them. Talking snakes and all!