Thread by @Femi_Sorry

Was Emily Maitlis biased on BBC Newsnight? Let's go line-by-line. THREAD @Maitlis

"Dominic Cummings broke the rules." The rules say not to leave home if you have symptoms FOR ANY REASON. With exceptions ONLY if that's impossible. But at no point did he require childcare.

Emily Maitlis: "The county can see that and it's shocked the government cannot"
This is shown in every piece of polling that has been done. Including that of the pro-government Daily Mail.
Journalism.

Emily Maitlis: "The longer ministers and PM tell us he worked within them, the more angry the response to this scandal is likely to be."
Logical analysis of the previous sentence.

"He was the man, remember, who always got the public mood, who tagged the lazy label of "elite" on those who disagreed. He should understand that public mood now."
Analysis of polling. "lazy label of elite" is subjective but justified as polling suggests public thinks it of him.

Emily Maitlis: "One of fury, contempt and anguish"
Even the flipping daily mail!

Emily Maitlis: "He made those who struggled to keep to the rules feel like fools.".
Polling shows most people believe he broke the rules they followed. So it is logical to say that the government implying the rules were looser than they were, is telling people they got it wrong.

Emily Maitlis: "And has allowed many more to assume they can now flout them"
A government minister came out to completely undermine the Stay Home message as if it never existed. So again, @Maitlis is drawing the logical conclusion from that.

Emily Maitlis: "The prime minister knows all this, but despite the resignation of one minister, growing unease from his back benchers, a dramatic early warning from the polls, and a deep national disquiet..."
All just facts, backed up by polling data.

Emily Maitlis: "BJ has chosen to ignore it".
Not one listener would interpret "ignore" as literally sticking his fingers in his ears. By ignore, @Maitlis means in terms of his actions. Today, he urged the country to move on, even referring to it as a "political ding dong".

Emily Maitlis: "Tonight we consider what this blind loyalty tells us about the workings of number 10".
Does backing Cummings help the Tories? No. Polls show that.
Is it helping the UK get through Coronavirus? A government minister just denied Stay Home was a thing.
=Blind loyalty

In conclusion, Emily Maitlis gave an accurate account of the public opposition to the government backed up by polling data and gave intelligent analysis of why that opposition might be there.

The @BBC & @BBCNewsnight, however, believe that "balance" means presenting the pros and cons of drinking bleach as if they were equal.
The man broke the rules established by his government and all evidence suggests the public is furious.

TO PRETEND OTHERWISE WOULD BE FAKE NEWS!