BBC Radio 4 presenter Eddie Mair has questioned the way the media is reporting the EU referendum debate, suggesting it is failing to tackle voters’ “basic questions” about the UK’s future.
The award-winning PM presenter said the huge volume of EU referendum-related queries his news programme has received raised questions about the way the campaigns are being covered.
Mair said the questions were often about basic issues which were not being tackled by the Remain and Vote Leave campaigns and not being answered by the media.
Topics raised by listeners included whether any countries or trading blocs have publicly stated they are in favour of Britain leaving the EU and that they have specific plans to increase their trade with Britain if it did; whether we need new car number plates without the EU flag; and will leaving mean more delays on parcels being sent from abroad.
Mair told the new issue of Radio Times: “They’re good questions, right? And we’re happy to do our bit trying to answer them: it’s part of our public service role, I suppose.
“But if voters need to turn to us to answer such basic interesting questions, aren’t there more searching questions to be asked of all of us in the media about our reporting – and of the campaigns themselves?”
Mair invited listeners to email in questions and said they had been bombarded with messages.
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