our history
www.pointswest.co.uk is a community website for members of the public to air their views on Points West stories. Whether good or bad, we want to hear from you so that viewers can express their views. It was set up in order to enable people to make their comments and have them published within a reasonable time-scale
The website itself was involved in a recent complaint regarding a BBC Points West story. This concerned a local businessman, Richard Nightingale, who was contacted by a Points West reporter in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. The reporter, a Mr Dickman, made a number of allegations and it was explained to him that the allegations were not true. Evidence was produced to the reporter to show that this was the case. The evidence involved written correspondence from the Civil Aviation Authority, supporting Richard Nightingale as well as various other Government departments and also HM Courts and Tribunals service. Mr Dickman flatly refused to broadcast any of these facts and when it was clear that he was intent on broadcasting a one-sided version of events, Her Honour, Judge Pickles, was asked to step in to prevent the broadcast going ahead. Prior to the hearing, the BBC Points West withdrew the broadcast which then made it unnecessary for Judge Pickles to rule on the matter. Later, however, with only a few hours’ notice given to Richard Nightingale, making it difficult for him to object, the broadcast went ahead.
The matter was immediately registered with the BBC complaints’ authority when the facts were, once again, given to them; however, they refused to address or even amend any of it in order to properly report all the true facts of the case; indeed, Mr Dickman did not use any of the facts and the BBC’s Legal department would not allow me to be interviewed.
The procedure for looking at matters more closely by the BBC usually takes weeks, but this took over a year! The matter, at the same time, was registered with Offcom who have had the same issues with the BBC not responding in a timely fashion to correspondence. This left Richard Nightingale feeling that not only were the full facts not used in the Broadcast, but he was not given an adequate time for his right to reply, which he felt was a legal requirement.
Richard Nightingale has told www.pointswest.co.uk that the complaints process involved at the BBC is broken and there are no adequate records which also tells us that there was a great deal of political bias shown by Mr Dickman which was evident in the very early stages and was highlighted but ignored.
Richard Nightingale says: ‘The press appear to have an almost Almighty powerful media at their disposal. When things are broadcast or published, there is a virtual obligation upon the viewer to think that these things have been correctly investigated and the true facts are being reported accurately. There is nothing further from the truth with regard to Mr Dickman’s report! He had an inflexible and dogmatic approach and I have no doubt some sort of hidden agenda which he thinks gives him the right to broadcast things which are simply not true. I fervently hope that no-one else finds themselves in the same situation as myself’
news feed
Don't miss out on this special occasion
Conservative Party Association ordered to pay nearly £10,000 for a claim brought by Richard Nightingale
Conservative Party Association ordered to pay nearly £10,000 for a claim brought by Richard Nightingale
Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club, who’s Managing Director is Barry Bailey, breaches Court Order
this week's popular story
dont forget to submit your story on the link below
Conservative Party Association ordered to pay nearly £10,000 for a claim brought by Richard Nightingale
