In a statement published by BiE today, Julian Petley, BiE member and Professor of Screen Media at Brunel University London, argues that reporting by the British media on the referendum has been to a considerable degree populist and xenophobic.
Prof Petley is highly critical of the BBC, for allowing itself to be swept along by the agenda set by the press.
He also argues that even if there is a vote to remain in the EU, the debate will never go away, and points out the risks that could derive from a potential split of the Conservative party, which might indeed follow a decision to leave the EU.
Labour can be blamed too, he concludes, for the tactical decisions they have made, notably the decision to leave the initiative on the Conservatives with the hope that they would be irreperably damaged in the process; there is a real risk that something to the right of the Conservative party, and not Labour, might stand to benefit in the end.
The interview is available here: