Neat little demonstration of the BBC 'distorting lens' effect at work this morning on the Today programme. The item (7.17 am) was about the suggestion floated by Tony Blair for random drug testing in schools. The programme had on a junior minister, Ivan Lewis, to defend the plan. Opposing him was Francis Wilkinson, who was described as the former Chief Constable of Gwent and patron of the drugs charity, Transform. All perfectly correct -- but no mention of the fact that Transform happens to be dedicated to the legalisation of drugs, as is Wilkinson. Such an acknowledgement would have transformed, as it were, the ensuing discussion as listeners would have been aware that Transform has an agenda to oppose and rubbish all existing drug laws and therefore the context in which the Prime Minister made his suggestion.

Instead, Wilkinson was allowed to pose as a neutral commentator. He was heard resepctfully, and asked only gentle probing questions by the presenter Jim Naughtie. Compare and contrast the treatment meted out to minister Lewis, who was constantly interrupted with incredulous comments and expostulations. Now, I'm certainly not saying he didn't deserve tough questioning, since the PM's proposal is certainly open to the charge that it is not properly thought through. But the underlying premise seemed to be that the government was barking mad in trying --for once! -- to confront drug-taking by schoolchildren, while the person who would legalise the lot and thus expose many more children to drug abuse was the acme of common sense.