. But I must make time to draw your attention to the BBC’s Israeli-Palestian impartiality review.
the Panel invites written submissions from any individual who would like to comment on the BBC’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and will take account of these contributions as part of its process. You can write to the following address:
Israeli-Palestinian Impartiality Review
BBC Governance Unit
Room 211, 35 Marylebone High Street
London, W1U 4AAOr send an email to israelipalestinian.review@bbc.co.uk
The closing date for receiving responses is 5pm, Friday 25th November 2005.
Well-reasoned, polite letters that give specific instances of bias are the ones most likely to do good.
Thanks to several bloggers and commenters who have pointed this out.
Just a hunch, but I reckon that if the BBC has any sense of PR they could publish the uncensored response to that provocative little ‘invitation to comment’ as proof that BBC bias accusors are largely scary bug eyed left/right wing nutters.
Is there really much point to this? Once every bonkers pressure group from the Edgeware Road to Golders Green and the Daily Mail to the Guardian has mobilised their adherents I suspect that the prospect of getting anything quantitatively useful from the exercise is zero. Presumably several people will have a good laugh wading through the wreckage at taxpayer’s expense.
Off topic. 2 churches and 2 schools burnt down, but what is more important to the bbc is that it was because of a rumour that someone had desecrated ( allegedly ) a koran.
story text below.
VIOLENCE FOLLOWS KORAN BURNING
Police in the Pakistani province of Punjab have arrested 90 people after protests against an alleged desecration of the Koran.
Police officials say the unrest began after rumours spread that a Christian man had set fire to a library containing copies of the Koran.
The crowd set fire to two churches, two school buildings and some houses.
The incidents took place in Sangla Hill, more than 100km from Lahore, but there are no reports of any injuries.
It would be pretty stupid not to report the reasons for the violence.
Did you hear Start The Week this morning?
In the first few seconds Andrew Marr stated that one of his panel was not Scottish because he seemed very English, despite having been born in Scotland. The response he got was along the lines of “What about all the second generation Bangladeshi men in Yorkshire – are they not Yorkshire men?”
Marr coughed and spluttered for a bit – which was marvelous – he was trapped by his own political correctness… made my day 🙂
Marrs` spirit of open and enlightened enquiry has now developed into full blown Relativism for which there is no cure.
Patients are best served by immediate removal from access to the public purse.
FBR, unlike the less dangerous AIDS is not usually fatal to the carrier but poses a greater danger to his audience.
Hank,
I agree that it would be pretty stupid not to state how the violence started.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/14/wpak114.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/11/14/ixnewstop.html
Local police and the Christian community agreed on how the violence began: a Christian man had spent several days gambling with Muslim men and had won a small fortune.
Embittered, his opponents spread the rumour that he had set fire to the koran mahal, a box for preserving torn pages of the Koran. Soon the alleged deed was broadcast by mullahs from mosques.
Fr Dilawar fled to the nearby convent where he hid with a group of nuns. “Ours was the only door that they did not try,” he said. “It was luck. That is how our lives were saved.”
His residence was doused in chemicals and set alight, gutting the building and destroying century-old documents.
In the same compound, St Anthony’s Primary School, which has 1,500 Muslim and Christian pupils, was ransacked and burnt.
The same treatment was meted out to the church, convent, boarding house and medical centre. The feet were snapped off statues of Jesus, metal crucifixes were buckled and nuns’ habits torched.
What a delightful culture…..
Very interesting because if you’d been watching to Al-BBC News 24 at lunchtime you’d have heard some mad mullah claiming Jesus belonged to Islam because he is mentioned in the Koran. News 24 is having a take the piss out of Christianity day today. They loved reporting that church attendances are down in this country, with much glee declaring that the future doesn’t look good for Christianity in this country.
Hank, so the rumour of one koran burnt equals the actual destruction of 2 churches and 2 schools. So it won’t be long before there are no more churches, but still lots of books eh !
Just imagine the reaction from the beeb if rioting christians attacked mosques.
O brother, the hypocrisy is appalling.
deepdiver
LGF has a post up up:
BBC HITS BOTTOM, DIGS
In an admiring photo essay on the making of suicide bomber propaganda film “Paradise Now,” the BBC reaches a new low in the caption of a photo of Palestinian child abuse: Shooting Paradise Now. (Hat tip: Mainah.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/in_pictures_shooting_paradise_now_/html/10.stm
“Palestinian children learn at a young age about the struggle for freedom. To some, the Palestinian martyrs are heroes. Here a child poses for a photograph at a rally organised by militants.”
OT – BBC and product placement.
Couple of interesting articles today on BBC News Online about product placement in US and UK:
Union call over product placement
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4434960.stm
Product placement comes to the fore
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4435776.stm
The ‘interesting’ parts are:
1. The writer never makes a distinction between the BBC, funded by a mandatory tax and therefore excluded from raising funds via advertising, and commercial broadcasters, who rely on advertising to survive.
2. The writer refers to a product placement ad agency, who on their website, boast of being involved in placing product in BBC shows including:
Canon photography products in ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ and ‘My Family’, both BBC1.
1st Place – Case studies, Canon
http://www.1stplaceprops.com/caseStudyDetail.cfm?caseStudyId=12
and
1st Place – case studies, Dyson
http://www.1stplaceprops.com/caseStudyDetail.cfm?caseStudyId=15
“We have ensured that the majority of the viewing public has seen Dyson vacuums on screen.”
Dyson products on EastEnders and Holby City, both BBC1
and
1st Place – case study, Volkswagen
http://www.1stplaceprops.com/caseStudyDetail.cfm?caseStudyId=13
“This has resulted in fantastic placements with actors such as Tom Conti, James Nesbitt and Niamh Cusack, on shows including Murphy’s Law, Silent Witness, Judge John Deed” – all BBC !!
So the BBC are involved in ‘product placement’. Makes a complete mockery of their ‘so-called’ recent investigation into Spooks….
TV ‘cleared’ of brand placement
or BBC investigation into BBC clears BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4372842.stm
1st Place proactive product placement
http://www.1stplaceprops.com/caseStudyDetail.cfm?caseStudyId=12
I have nothing against product placement, indeed I expect OFCOM will need to approve this for the commercial broadcaters as we all start to FF ads using our digital video recorders etc.
But what the hell is the BBC doing engaging in this? If they want to continue, fine – cancel the tv tax and I’ll be more than happy to watch ‘Peggy Mitchell’ on EastEnders vaccuming the Queen Vic with her Dyson, then driving away in her shiny new Volkswagen Golf to do some shopping for a Canon camera.
I hope OFCOM is listening…..
Pete_London
Obviously, that’s yet another piece of biased reporting by the Beeb.
Do you think they ever bother to search out the truth?
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/903/
Why are the Israelis building that “segregation wall”? (as the Beeb is now calling it)
The BBC firstly has to explain why it spends so much time on the Palestinians but so little time on Muslim on Muslim violence like Darfur.
Bill,
I think it is a student thing. They learned about Palestine in University. They know nothing about Darfur.
It’s a ’cause,’ like global warming. They can appear intelligent by saying things about Israel/Palestine.
Che Guevara, anyone?
Bill
I wouldn’t mind a bit of BBC attention paid to the (almost literally) incredible Palestinian child abuse such as that shown in Grimer’s link – http://www.compfused.com/directlink/903/
This kind of thing has been going on for years and has been wholly ignored by the perverted left.
Anon 5.35 was me.
What’s the odds this panel will say how wonderful the BBC coverage is?
“Palestinian children learn at a young age about the struggle for freedom. To some, the Palestinian martyrs are heroes. Here a child poses for a photograph at a rally organised by militants.”
Pete_London | 14.11.05 – 4:42 pm | #
Someone posted recently about Simpson, I think it was, who condemned IDF some time ago after they caught a child rigged up with a suicide belt, and detained him with the belt still on so the media could photograph him. His point was how Israel was keeping this ‘child’ in danger to maximise the media attention. Naturally he made no condemnation of those who talked him into putting it on in the first place which was the IDF intention.
Now we see from what you posted how he views this toddler ‘freedom fighter’.
What’s the odds this panel will say how wonderful the BBC coverage is?
Bill | Homepage | 14.11.05 – 6:44 pm | #
We can surmise. I did a little research a few weeks ago on this panel. I posted it elsewhere on this forum, and also at
Biased BBC The Forum
Re: church attendence, I’ve never really known how they work out the figures. There’s no regular census, and the only place that might keep such figures is the CofE, where attendence certainly *is* down quite a bit. But there are plenty of other denominations, and plenty of independent churches that are just thriving at the moment. Does the BBC count all of that? As far as I know, church attendence overall has gone up in recent years…
Someone posted recently about Simpson, I think it was, who condemned IDF some time ago after they caught a child rigged up with a suicide belt, and detained him with the belt still on so the media could photograph him.
No, it wasn’t Simpson. It was
Bore-la bin Guerin.
Thanks Susan. But I believe in this particular piece it was Simpson in defense of Guerin. It was posted a few days ago, the only problem is I can’t remember where. If I find it I’ll re-post it.
Teddy Bear – do you mean this?
Tim Llewellyn
Sunday June 20, 2004
The Observer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/ b…1242833,00.html
Orla Guerin, the BBC’s fearless and candid Middle East correspondent, drew on herself not for the first time unwarranted Israeli wrath recently when she reported how the Israeli army had kept a Palestinian boy in a bomb belt waiting at his, and everyone else’s, peril while the camera crews showed up. She told viewers, ‘these are the pictures the Israelis wanted the world to see’. The Israelis did, of course, but they did not want such frank exposure of their cynicism.
That link
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,1242833,00.html
Many thanks Dan. This was the original report by Guerin, but what I read the other day was support for Guerin on this matter by, I believe it was, either John Simpson or Tim Llewellyn. Can’t remember where I was reading it :o(
Sorry Dan – you did post the article above, and it was Tim Llewellyn – Duh. Thanks again
I think it’s having Simpson on the brain, made me a bit Homeresque.
~(_8^(|)
I had a look at the background note to the ‘Israeli-Palestini anImpartiality Review’ and found this:
Research and written submissions to the panel, will be published in full by the Board
of Governors.
Does this mean that if they get an e-mail from Bryan in Tel Aviv bitching and moaning about their pro-Palestinian bias they’ll publish it along with everything else?
Or will they treat it with the same contemptuous disregard with which they handled my complaint over their callous reporting of the recent drive-by killing by Palestinian ‘militants’ of three young Israeli ‘settlers’ – namely by first passing the buck and then ignoring it? (The complaint, that is, not the buck.)
But if there’s a slight chance that they are serious about this investigation, I’m going to sharpen my pencil…er..hone my typing skills and dredge up some choice examples of their bias.
Hang on, do I only have another ten days?!
You’ll notice the BBC have no critical words for the Jordanians after they paraded the failed suicide bomber on television.There she was, resplendent in her belt of death.But the Jordanians just aren’t Jews are they? There is just no angle.
Is Israel the only country in the world NOT entitled to any fom of self-defence?
Of course, according to the beeboids!
Ask them why they don’t air the following, and then sit back and grow old waiting for their response.
INDIA is accelerating the construction of a 2,500-mile fence to seal its border with Bangladesh amid growing fears that its Muslim neighbour could become “a new Afghanistan”.
So, I contacted the “Panel” and told them I don’t know where to start because I have examples going back a few years of ignorance, incompetence, bias, and arrogance. I’m still waiting.
Also I asked them who was funding the whole exercise? And then I pointed out that none of the panel members seems to have much actual exposure to the Middle East. Am I being too picky? In case you don’t get it, it’s about credibility, as opposed to whitewash. I’ll wager that it’s just all a clever, no strike that, ham-fisted beeb plot to fool our nation yet again. Meanwhile, they continue to direct debit my “licence” fee every month with such admirable efficiency.
BM,
As I’m sure you’re aware the Indian fence doesn’t appropriate a significant amount of Bangladeshi territory ‘settled’ by Indians.
Whilst I’d agree that the BBC coverage of this issue has an anti-Israel bias I suspect that the consultation exercise will be hijacked by ideologically inspired types like yourself taking every implied criticism of Israeli actions, however dubious they may be, as evidence of rabid anti-Semitism (and indeed vice versa on the part of nutcase left-wingers).
Consequently the BBC will be able to blame the whole bias issue on extremists and can continue on its merry way.
Big Mouth,
I’ll wager that it’s just all a clever, no strike that, ham-fisted beeb plot to fool our nation yet again.
Well, I dunno. I’d like to believe that the BBC is sensitive to accusations of bias, especially when they are widespread. Journalists like to be thought of as intrepid pioneers in the realm of ideas rather than blinkered propagandists.
And the scope of this ‘Israeli-Palestinian Impartality Review’ really seems to cover a lot of ground, and to be a sincere attempt to expose bias.
That said, I assume the panel will dilute their findings and absolve the BBC of any intentional bias. Still, I remain optimistic.
rb,
As I’m sure you’re aware the Indian fence doesn’t appropriate a significant amount of Bangladeshi territory ‘settled’ by Indians.
As you may not be aware, the far left activist judges of the Israeli Supreme Court have become involved through litigation in determining the positioning of the fence and consistently place the needs of one or two Palestinian olive growers over the security needs of millions of Israelis, handing down rulings to reroute the fence. This is partly why it’s taking such a long time to construct.
So much for the “appropriation” of Palestinian land.
Good point Bryan.
As I’m sure you’re aware the Indian fence doesn’t appropriate a significant amount of Bangladeshi territory ‘settled’ by Indians.
rb – As I’m sure you’re aware, the Indian fence hasn’t had to appropriate a significant amount of Bangladeshi territory because it was used by the latter as a strategic position from which to attack Indians.
If they had, the world would find it perfectly appropriate for India to annex territory used in this way.
The very fact that you express the view that you do, shows how much you have been influenced by the media.
Think about that.
❓
rb
the west bank according to un resolution 242 should be under negotiation.it is not automatically palestinian land.lord caradon the uk un representative made that clear.as did goldberg the american un representative.
Richard – Too true, but the anti-Israel camp has been pushing the lie that these territories are “Palestinian” for so long, and has been supported so strongly by media such as the BBC, that most people unquestioningly accept the lie.
Anonymous makes a good point. And also, if anyone cares to read the Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 49, it can be seen that an occupying power can move their own people into areas as long as they do not do so forcibly, and as long as they do not displace the existing population. Israeli “settlers” have gone willingly to these places, which were not used by Arabs. Indeed, they were isolated, inhospitable lands that local farmers did not use, and where there were no villages or towns.
Al-beeb is highly remiss in not going to school on these very basic points, and therefore not informing the British people, the taxpayers!
“If they had, the world would find it perfectly appropriate for India to annex territory used in this way.”
Considering that until 1947 it was all Indian territory. Anyway it was East Pakistan originally as Britain created the two disaster states on either side of the new Indian Republic. We must be thankful that India did not turn into a basket case like the two adjoining Muslim states.
Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 49, it can be seen that an occupying power can move their own people into areas as long as they do not do so forcibly, and as long as they do not displace the existing population
Yes, it would seem that the provisions of this article arose to make illegal actions such as the transport of Jews to Polish death camps. But it is now used by the BBC, & like minded, to judge illegal a completely different circumstance.