Don’t know? Here’s the answer, as demonstrated by News Online’s Brian Wheeler, a political reporter, oh yes:
One’s a magisterial puff-piece for
Gorgeous George Galloway.
The other’s a comedy piece poking fun at those
UKIP buffoons!
Of course this could just be an unfortunate juxtaposition – Brian has bylined a mere
eleven articles over two and a half years, according to the News Online search tool, so collecting a reasonable sample with which to assess his impartiality might take some time!
George Galloway – denies the party is a “one trick pony”.
Actually George’s denial is correct, in light of the recent elections, I think we would have to classify it as a “no trick pony”.
Oh George, get to your gaol already!
It’s predictable, and ironic. The man without an argument (Galloway) is made to look as though he has one (sliding nicely in along with Dyke’s inexplicably newsworthy pronouncements against Blair over Iraq).
Meanwhile, the group with a democratic argument, whom voters really have indicated that they feel has a case to make for them, is treated like a cast reunion of Dad’s Army (not that many of them are free to reunite anymore).
On the subject of Brian Wheeler and how many articles he’s written, I did a quick Google and turned up some not covered by the BBC search. This helps confirm my understanding that what a BBC author search produces is a small sample of that author’s writings.
The significance of this is that you cannot monitor an individual’s output- I assume they want to keep that knowledge and competence ‘in house’.
Meanwhile the BBC Online coverage of the Presidential campaign is all about what a great guy Kerry is compared to Bush. No mention of the real overnight news – that an Admiral who commanded the boat Kerry was on for the first Purple Heart says Kerry is an outright liar about that incident. While a former Secretary of the Navy denies ever signing a citation for another of Kerry’s medals. And the polls showing Kerry slipping behind – with no challenger ever winning if the incumbent is ahead when he starts his convention. Now THAT’s news.
The BBC are still determined to stick it to Bush and Blair over Iraq. Headline news for Greg Dyke – Yawn !!!!
From the article Ed posted: “In one letter…Mr Blair says: ‘It seems to me there has been a real breakdown of the separation of news and comment.'”
I’m saving this as a fine example of understatement.
I read a couple of bloggers that absolutely hate Blair, but I find him admirable. I suppose one might have a different view living in the U.K. though.
——-
John,
There hasn’t been much mention of Admiral Schacte’s statements to Bob Woodward. It’s all over the blogosphere but Woodward’s article is all that shows up (newswise) on Google. The MSM will have to have their noses shoved in it again to notice it.
None so blind as those that will not see.
Dyke says
“What is really frightening is that Blair still doesn’t believe or understand that what he did was fundamentally wrong.””
A nice summation of Dyke’s problem. Because he, along with this BBC item & much of the media, still think the BBC’s problems were because
“the Hutton report concluded the BBC had been wrong to claim the government “sexed up” its dossier on Iraq’s weapons.”
Why cannot they understand that an accusation of “sexing up” would not have brought the house down round the BBC’s ears. In truth, Hutton’s ruling was that the BBC could not support their allegation that Blair had put information into the dossier, against the wishes of the JIC & knowing it to be false.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3610032.stm
Ed – I think it’s more likely that the Beeb search engine is crap (well, in fact it’s 100% certain that the Beeb search engine is crap).
I’ve never written articles for BBC Online, but I’ve been quoted 13 times. Searching on Google brings these up; searching on the BBC site doesn’t. It would be pushing the bounds of conspiracy theory to believe that the BBC want to conceal the output over time of interviewees in their business articles….
(incidentally, the term “site:bbc.co.uk” while Google-searching is your friend. This also works for most other websites, which is helpful considering that most other websites also have crap search engines).