Another dreadful BBC by-election report as percentages phobia continues

Much of the BBC’s political coverage is great. Its reporting of by-election results, however, is anything but – due to the BBC’s weird phobia about giving percentage vote shares and about giving changes in the percentage shares since last time.

These are a huge part of the absolute basic information for understanding what has happened in a result – and of course at general election time the BBC gives these figures as a matter of course. Yet come by-elections, percentages get banished – as you can see in the report on last night’s Aberdeen Donside Scottish Parliament by-election result.

Perhaps Tim Harford could have a word…