B-BBC commenter Rob Read, and others, have noticed that BBC reporting can be selective on which stories it highlights. Why is the BBC so quick to note the endorsement of John Kerry by Warren Buffet but unable to find space for the damaging story from Kerry’s fellow Swift Boat veterans who find him unfit for office. The Beeb is happy enough to report on Air America, a liberal alternative to conservative talk radio (which pretty much owns the medium at this point). Could the BBC find the resources to update their articles of 1 April to note that the fledgling network has had, shall we say, major funding issues? Why does the BBC have so little to tell us about the latest developments on the UN Oil-For-Food scandal and current stonewalling by Kofi and Co? Why does this highly-funded media monopoly sit on the WMD story coming from Jordan over a couple of weeks when some 20 tonnes of chemicals were intercepted by authorities? Where, as Rob mentioned, are BBC stories on the opposition to al-Sadr?
Why, with all the public monies at its disposal, is the Beeb being so economical with these stories unless it is that they are simply less appealing to the palate of media elites?
Excellent article – excellent questions.
Maybe if we organised a march and a protest to BBC headquarters (if we can find a suitable head of this particular hydra!) we could get Hannah Bayman to come along and do a sympathetic article (and a few puff pieces in advance too, please, with date, time, place, travel details etc.)- hey, I’ve even got some quotes she can attribute to me to save all that incisive legwork that she’s renowned for!
At least with the tawdry Daily Mirror we can all choose not to buy it and not fund the lifestyle of Mr. Piers Moron. Roll on the day we can do the same for BBC News, Orla Goering, Caroline Hawley (did she have plastic surgery to get such a twisted sneer on her face?) etc.
Agreed- excellent article, excellent questions. It’s a good demonstration of what’s not on the BBC agenda.
On the Buffet point, the BBC published a puff-piece about the world’s second richest man today- as though to underline a news story so positive for ‘their man’-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3685763.stm
They really put on the knee pads for Buffet after he came out in support of Kerry. His only reason seeming to be HIS taxes, not the well being of the economy itself…
Let me know when you do – it sounds like a great story and I would love to cover it!
The longer the march lasts and the greater the distance, the bigger the story perhaps.
Touché Hannah! 🙂
I didn’t realise you were still with us (as it were).
I have some questions you might help me with:
1) Would we have to have a big ruck with the police or trash a McDonald’s or disrupt a major world city like your other friends do?
And, following up on a weeks back:
2) When you say you’re an American citizen, is that your sole nationality, and how long did you live there before moving here? (i.e. Are you American in terms of accent/upbringing etc.? Or is it more happenstance?)
Andrew.
P.S. To reassure you, I am a UK TV taxpayer – and I enjoy a good deal of BBC output. However, it is offensive for a compulsorily funded broadcaster to be so prejudiced in its world view whilst maintaining vociferously that it isn’t. I’m quite taken with the notion of becoming a conscientious objector (since Tony Blair, in spite of his faults, won’t execute me for doing so, unlike your friend Fidel would with his dissidents).
I at least got them to stop calling Jo Wilding an “aid worker” when she is a well know anti-war activist and to stop using her as a source for reports from Falluja.
Here is their email to me.
Dear ,
Many thanks for your e-mail regarding Jo Wilder’s piece on the ‘Iraq: Your experiences’ page. All e-mails on our pages are vetted before publication, however her background had not been made clear to us and, therefore, we have now removed it from the piece.
Many thanks for drawing our attention to this oversight and we apologise if we have misled you on the issue. I hope this does not prevent you from reading our site in the future.
Kind regards,
Sarah Brown
Broadcast Journalist
BBC News Online
http://www.bbcnews.com
sarah.brown.01@bbc.co.uk
Marc
You should “spoof” sarahs email so she doesn’t get spam.
Can someone change it to sarah.brown.01 – AT – bbc.co.uk please? I wouldn’t like my work email machine readable, and it’s only polite, you never know she might keep reading and learning and then correcting more often…
Snobish BBC hatchet job on Berlusconi
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3673239.stm
I’d prefer more “talent” on the BBC and less sneers and lies please!
Speaking of selective reporting. . . the Abu Ghraib “scarecrow” photo has been on the top of the BBC News international edition webpage for at least 48 consecutive hours. Anyone care to place a wager on its longevity there? I’d bet on 72 hours.
Hi Andrew,
Yes I am still here, reading (and now posting!). Bet you haven’t had many BBC journalists coming back for such a kicking. 😉
Your questions:
1. I can hardly think of anyone less likely to ruck with the police than Chris Blake. But I wasn’t teasing when I said biased-bbc.com should organise a march – it would get big coverage and you’d be standing up for what you believe – the best any of us can do.
Btw… Mr Blake wouldn’t have been my first choice of interview for the G8 either – despite being very eloquent – because as you pointed out, I know him from when I did the design for a lefty newsletter he edited before starting at the BBC.
Two interviews had been set up with other protesters, but on the day of the big march, neither was answering their mobile and the online World Editor was baying for comment (“someone find me a crusty!” I believe he yelled) … so I called on a contact.
…Mr Blake wouldn’t have said anything else had he spoken to any other reporter – and any other protester would have expressed broadly the same views, although perhaps not as well.
As for Aldermaston, as I say I didn’t know anyone there and am not in their groups (I’m not in any groups although really that’s my business I’m sure you’ll agree).
2. My mother is American, dad British, I was born and brought up here but most of my family is there.
I have two passports and a vote in the next election – suggestions anyone? 😉
Respect to Hannah.
For a) having a sense of humour and b) bothering to engage with BBBC at all. After all, she’s on a bit of a hiding to nothing engaging with we readers, but did it anyway. Would you if the situation were reversed? 🙂
What would be really interesting would be a considered opinion from an insider like Hannah on whether the BBBC agenda has any merit.
OFF TOPIC –
Another BBC bias story – Radio 4 bollocked by the excellent Richard Webster for worshipping flat-earth psychology.
http://www.richardwebster.net/print/xinourtime.htm
Littlejohn in today’s Sun remembers Ms Wilding
“THE Guardian says the phoney photos row proves British troops aren’t fit to be peacekeepers.
So who do they suggest we send to bring order to Iraq • a coachload of diversity co-ordinators, some equal opportunities advisers or those madwomen who turned up in Fallujah to teach the locals circus tricks and how to make animals out of balloons?”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,43-2004211085,00.html
Decline in R4 “Today” listeners. Times suggests it has occurred after programme rubbished by Hutton. BBC explanation –
“The fall in audience figures “could equally be because Sarah Montague (a Today presenter) was on maternity leave”.”
Doesn’t say much for the pulling power of the mighty Humphrys.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-1101099,00.html
Hannah Bayman
So you are born and raised in Britain. Not really the flavour you left earlier. I think your earlier remarks on this score were decidedly disingenuous. Just like your suggestions that Castro’s Cuba is some kind of free society. And trust people like you to effectively be begging for money to get to Cuba – why couldn’t you simply earn your fare like the rest of us ?
And you have not answered the questions – if a demo against the BBC is organised, would it need aggression against the police, damage to property and so on ? Like the demos you have attended and urged others to support.
Also – would you not agree that your on views are on the extreme fringe of UK politics ? And that your views impinge on your so-called journalism for the BBC ?
Welcome Hannah!
The suggestion of a Biased BBC march is interesting, and may happen one day.
I doubt somehow that it would get big coverage unless the numbers we could produce were reasonably large, and we were well organised. I don’t know if anyone here knows how to manage a march so that we don’t look prize eediots. Since this is rather a transatlantic venture I wouldn’t like to think of all those marchers concerned at general standards in the world’s media getting their feet wet. Additionally, I think that the age-range here is a little more mature than your average demo- of course we know about the veteran CND’ers, but still. I reckon that BBBC unlike CND has a genuine claim to be counter-cultural.
Continued…
There are plenty of Brits here, and that’s surely quite something when it’s difficult to get people to do anything that requires interest, concentration and a little unfashionable pedantry. Young people like a day in the fresh air (like I do), and I was always game for a pillow fight, so the popularity of demos and marches may reflect something other than considered activism.
We BBBC’ers march with words.
Goodnight to ye,
Ed