I am sure everyone at Biased BBC would like to say that they’ll make an effort to buy Danish in the light of the Islamic boycott of Denmark (and Norway, apparently). I plan to scout around for some Danish bacon… mmmm.
The BBC’s responsibility to report this news should extend to critically examining whether cartoons should merit an apology, just for depicting a religious icon in an unflattering light. But, even more, they should analyse the phenomenon of hatred based on such a flimsy pretext- for pretext is what it surely is. That’s why I was interested in DFH’s convincing observation about a BBC report using footage which included a fake cartoon of Muhammed as a pig. You’d have thought the BBC might have noticed (because aware of the backstory DFH outlines), and pointed out the fact that many out there are just propagandising. Would it be too much to point out in some way that the raid on the EU building was just a particularly egregious bit of propagandising by a group linked to Fatah, the losers in the Palestinian elections? BBC text report here.
UPDATE 17.45GMT Jan 31st: just a cut n’ paste from DFH this time (same post as linked above, worth revisiting). The BBC are wrong about the cartoons, and thus helping to spread propaganda. By any standards that’s terrible journalism, and a disservice to Europe. There is no Mohammed-as-a-pig cartoon amongst the ones involved in the controversy. Apology time, Beeb? These things can cause riots y’know.
Update 2 pm January 31.Rob Broomby on BBC Radio 4’s PM last night (and well spotted Eammon):
‘The blue touch paper had been lit by a series of cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September. One portrayed the Prophet Mohammed with a turban shaped like a time bomb. Another showed him with a face of a pig.’
Wrong Rob. Very wrong. Now let’s have a report which answers these questions:
1.Why are Muslims spreading fake Danish cartoons?
2. Why did the BBC fall for the propaganda?
Rick: As a beer drinker I can tell you that of the companies you mentioned only Tuborg is actually Danish (Carlsberg Company as far as I know). Hannen Alt is an Oettinger company (the brewery is in Moenchengladbach) and Holsten is located in Hamburg. Cheers anyway!
Taol (at 4:24)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4665426.stm
OH FOR F***KS SAKE!!!!!!
Where’s the Danish viewpoint?
apologies for ranting, but this is really getting on my nerves.
TAoL
This is a story that cuts to the heart of the BBC’s reason for being – it is about the issue of free speech, a fundamental right in our society – yet it seems barely interested.
The trouble is that al-BBC on;y believes in freedom of speech in favour of its own worldview.
Archduke, if the Muslims get their way, the Danes wont be able to express their viewpoint.
I share your frustration. There appears to be something more going on here than simple political correctness or dhimmitude. So I return to a question posed earlier on this site: what percentage of BBC staff is Muslim?
While the BBC’s Frank Gardner was being gunned down in Saudi Arabia by the brave warriors of the Religion of Peace he told them he was a Muslim. They didn’t hold their fire.
So one would think that the BBC has a stake in exposing Islam’s blind intolerance.
Why do they insist on covering it up?
OT – and we’ve got bigger fish to fry today (Danish cartoons) but I couldn’t help myself, sorry.
Don’t pay your taxes? Are you a cheat? Depends…….
It would appear so in this case:
London ‘worst for licence cheats’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4662278.stm
But in this case the pensioner is portrayed as a ‘victim’:
Pensioner refuses to pay tax bill
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/4647164.stm
“My family are not very happy about it, but someone has got to stand up for pensioners.
“I’ll be OK inside if I can take my knitting with me.
“One of my granddaughters cried and said ‘I don’t want Granny to go to jail’, but I will if I have to.”
In this case not only is the victim a poor pensioner, but she is a fragile angina sufferer:
Woman, 79, led away in handcuffs
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/4608450.stm
“An elderly woman who suffers from angina was handcuffed as she was led to a police car for a court appearance on charges of non payment of council tax.”
The BBC are scum. Fight them
“So one would think that the BBC has a stake in exposing Islam’s blind intolerance. Why do they insist on covering it up?”
its utterly beyond me. although , i would like to complement Feargal Keane for doing that Ayaan Hirsi Ali interview on radio 4 a few weeks ago.
maybe the Beeb has orders from No.10 to be ultra-sensitive prior to the forthcoming war on Iran? perhaps?
not to stir things up , maybe? (just guessing here)
OT
George W Bush tonight is going to make State of the Union speech. Knowing how anti American the BBC is I would reccmomend watch it starting at approx 01:55 on Sky News, Fox News or CNNi. I will stary away from there coverage.
Most BBC News journalists are probably left-wing liberals recruited among The Guardian‘s readers, which would explain the whitewashing of Islam.
Hannen Alt is an Oettinger company (the brewery is in Moenchengladbach) and Holsten is located in Hamburg. Cheers anyway!
disillusioned_german | 31.01.06 – 5:17 pm | #
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/printNewsBis.asp?id=10358
You are correct Hannen Alt acquired 1988 by Carlsberg was sold.
Carlsberg Germany is headquartered in Hamburg – they bought Holsten Brauereigruppe from Christian Eisenbeiss
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsberg
Rick:
Their website http://www.carlsberg.de still states that Hannen is a Carlsberg company. The Holsten website lists both Tuborg and Carlsberg among its brands (getting complicated here). But you’re right with Holsten so let’s call it a beer-draught (draw) 😉 Are you located in Germany, mate?
Anyway, people. Let’s buy Danish goods. Here’s the link again: http://www.danishfood.net/
By the way: after the Mohammed cartoons “scandal” (that term was used on Germany TV earlier) I can officially state that the Beeb is a joke. They need to be stopped!
Correction: “German TV” – Heute (Today) News at 7 pm. They’re just as useless. That’s why I’m not paying my TV license (I’m not watching their programming anyway).
Another Link for Danish goods: http://www.danishexporters.dk/scripts/danishexporters/danishexporters_forside.asp
Thanks to Davids Medienkritik who are also running a buy Danish campaign.
Thank goodness we can use internet sources to get closer to the truth (in a more ‘nuanced’ way, even) of various news stories, given the moronic level at which the same stories are pitched on the beeb, and other channels.
Apparently Rowan Atkinson is against the religious hatred bill because it ‘would stop comedians making religious jokes’.
Yeah, that’s a really good explanation of Atkinson’s position.
For your delectation, a little
Breaking News (second paragraph 😉 )
‘The UN’s atomic watchdog has confirmed that Iran has started preparations to resume producing enriched uranium, which can be used in nuclear weapons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said it has obtained an Iranian document which can only be used in the making of nuclear weapons parts.’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4667970.stm
Can’t find this on another website to get a second opinion, free of ‘Auntie’s’ possible moderation, but still looking
Steve Mac – The reasons for running the cartoons were published in the paper and all over the web four months ago, when they first ran. A Dane had written a book on Mohammad and had looked in vain for someone to illustrate it for him. He asked the cultural editor of the Jyylands-Posten for help. The editor, who had noted how self-censuring about Islam people had begun to be, ran a piece asking for some illustrations for this fellow’s book. They published 12 of those they received.
It was the Muslim whiners and complainers themselves who included the three or four extra cartoons that they got god knows where, in their rage against Jyllands-Posten. They don’t seem to understand that when you make a complaint,you should stick with the facts. Did they really think Jyllands-Posten couldn’t simply pull up the relevant issue and demonstrate they had published 12, not 15, cartoons? Or can they not think that far ahead?
Excellently unbiased ‘debate’ on BBC News24 at the moment where the interviewer is serving up nice easy “do you agree it’s awful?” “how awful is it?” “in what ways is it all awful?” questions for anti-war mother Rose Gentle and some generic ‘expert’ who’s taking various anti-war positions.
The idea of a balanced debate seems to be just an alien concept at the bbc.
The full report was made available to Associated Press.
(it’s a mite churlish of the Beeb not to mention AP, (unlike Fox and CBS))
paulc -> debkafile have something on that.
i’m confused by this bbc report – the government lost the religious hatred bill vote, but Charles Clarke is “delighted” ?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4664398.stm
Perhaps Chasser’s brainpan is cracked.
Might be thermal shock; those ears must have one hell of a cooling effect.
But you’re right with Holsten so let’s call it a beer-draught (draw) Are you located in Germany, mate?
No longer – but I did once try to buy Holsten AG
Ich kenne Deutschland ausserordentlich gut und Brauereien insbesondere
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,398418,00.html
Very interesting
The whole company or just a crate, Rick? Oettinger’s been causing shock-waves on the beer market with their low price products. You can buy Oettinger Alt (which almost tastes like Hannen) for 5.99 Euros.
Okay, let’s eat some pork and drink a beer or two while celebrating the sensibilities of our muslim brothers and sisters (or maybe not).
Just a thought: Can the Beeb be called a terrorist organisation or would that be o.t.t.?
Rick: For usually very tasty discussions in German I can recommend the “Politically Incorrect” blog which is both pro-Israel and pro-US: http://www.myblog.de/politicallyincorrect
“License Cheats”? Sorry, surely “Licesnse insurgents”? Or “Activists against an unjust Poll Tax”?
Just a couple of phrases the BBC would use if the “naughty persons” were blowing up buses instead of not paying extortion money to a state enterprise.
As for the “religious hatred” bill, it doesn’t matter what the detail of the law is – the fact is that it will be used to intimidate anyone who dares to criticise Islam. The police will harass and arrest anyone who steps out of line, knowing full well that they don’t actually have to prosecute someone in a court to get the message across.
Parliament deciding policy?! There’s a novelty.
Rob | 31.01.06 – 1:55 pm | #
well, the judge is “mr bean”
Will they have to pay full whack for both ID cards?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4664142.stm
“islam is an evil death cult”
there. can i get arrested now?
TO THE STAFF WRITERS OF BIASED BBC
I’m curious.
Why is your letter’s editor (Natalie Solent) not doing her job?
I have sent to you examples of really egregious BBC bias which you never reported on.
I also submitted an article I wrote on a particular instance of BBC Bias, which I offered for free publication.
I never received a response to either correspondence.
Not to sound annoyed, but I would have received a swifter response had I written to the BBC themselves.
FYI Biased BBC readers: Do not send in information to Biased BBC while Natalie Solent is still “letters editor”. You’ll be ignored. Send it to one of the mediawatch sites who possess the required motivation to actually read their mail.
FYI Mike Jericho: This blog isn’t anyone’s “job”, it’s their hobby. They’re providing a service for free whilst continuing with their real lives. You have no right to demand anything from them, and if you took that tone in your email, I’m not surprised you were ignored. Calm down.
If you take the time to read a number of the posts you will see that the hat-tips often go to “So-and-so in comments”. You can always post your examples of bias here (preceded by an off-topic warning), and, if it really is an egregious example someone will pick it up and make a post on it, crediting you for drawing it to their attention.
Never mind cartoons! This one’s a lot funnier. Give Seville back to the likes of Hamas. Take a look here:
http://www.spainherald.com/2414.html
Lizzie, I always appreciate it when people who haven’t read my emails comment derisively upon them. It reaffirms my belief that I’m superior to a lot of people.
My sincere thanks to Ed Thomas for addressing this.
disillusioned_german |
I am a Warsteiner, Bitburger, Erdinger, Maisels, Jever, Paulaner man – I think Carlsberg tried/or did buy a Weissbier brewer……..
Yes beer is dumped everywhere but Britain where it runs at 1,40 Euros a can in supermarkets.
No Danish Pork has a much bigger message to our fanatical friends – and it is about time the Will of The People as they used to say is heard on such matters across Europe in place of a political class which seeks to dupe its own populace and kow-tow to any leering mob of gangsters.
http://nataliesolent.blogspot.com/2003_06_08_nataliesolent_archive.html
The normblog profile 10: Natalie Solent
Natalie Solent was born in 1964. She has worked as a commercial artist, author of textbooks (under a different name), waitress, teacher, civil servant, recruitment consultant and stay-at-home-mother. She blogs at Natalie Solent and Biased BBC
http://www.normangeras.blogspot.com/2003_11_23_normangeras_archive.html
I did enjoy a little titter when I saw this on From Our Own Correspondent.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4632024.stm
No peeking just yet, please.
Spot the missing word in the headline. Which nasty thing is ‘threatening’ the ‘reforms’ in Kuwait?
“*********ism threatens Kuwait reforms”
Is it:
a) pluralism?
b) fundamentalism?
c) liberalism?
d) socialism?
e) conservatism?
f) fascism?
g) extremism?
TAoL – nice one. I’m surprised they restrained themselves from h:
h) toryism?
I do find it amusing, Ritter. I have never been a Conservative but I would consider my views on some issues to be conservative. In the world of the Toynbee, I suspect that makes me a crypto-fascist.
Likewise ‘conservatism’, in Beeb-speak, appears to be a malignant force that opposes all things progressive and reformist.
‘Conservatism’ is a scary word; a Bad Thing.
I wonder if they do use this word deliberately to confuse their listeners and viewers into thinking that conservatism equals The Conservative Party? 🙂
Mike Jericho,
Having now read your turgid diatrabe I’ve concluded that Natalie was demonstrating an excellent standard of quality control.
Taol – you left out the most important “ism” when it comes to the middle east:
“islamism”
But Islamism isn’t a conservative philosophy, according to the BBC’s terms of reference. In the land of the Beeb, Islamism tends to be prefaced by ‘radical’, no?
I think the BBC world-view is shaped by using the following guidelines.
If the incumbent government is ‘Islamist’ in nature (i.e. Iran, Syria), it is ‘conservative’ if it opposes pluralism, equal rights for women, and so on.*
If an opposition movement or party is Islamist, it is ‘radical’ or ‘reformist’ no matter what its policies are. In this situation, the incumbent government is conservative, irrespective of ITS policies.
*Iran is a funny one. It is a theocracy with strictly-controlled democratic elements. When abuses of human rights are under the microscope, Iran’s government is ‘conservative’. But when George Bush or Israel threaten to bomb it, Iran is ‘progressive’ and ‘democratic’. 🙂
This word-play appears to be a variation on the sound-bite from the spoof election broadcast on Harry Enfield’s Television Programme.”L is for Labour; L is for Lice,” the slogan said. In BBC-land, however, it appears to be a case of “C is for conservative; C is for C***s.”
The Syrian Government are not really Islamist – they are much more secular Arab Nationalist – Baathist. (In fact, one might make a case that no other govt has crushed Islamists as brutally as did the Syrian regime of Assad père – Hamaa, 1982, etc).
I have just heard – on the BBC World Service, no less – that a French newspaper has reprinted these cartoons.
Can it be that the Biased-BBC bloggers will be advocating a show of support by buying the produce of the “cheese-eating surrender monkeys”?
danish cheese with french wine. best of both worlds… yum.
i wonder if the ghettos will erupt in a French Intifada mark 2?
TAoL, BBC News never gets to refer to Iran’s government as conservative, as it never reports on its abuses of human rights. I believe NewsWatch has ignored my comment regarding this issue, because whereas my first message was replied to in under two hours, the comment I sent on Sunday morning has yet to be replied to. Is it always so? I have probably been added to the NewsWatch blacklist.
Thom Boston and Archduke, with the riots we’ve had, France Soir will probably have to apoligise at the first complaint.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4669360.stm
“France enters Muslim cartoon row”
wow! the M word actually mentioned by the bbc!!!
The French paper involved, France Soir, has been teetering on the verge of bankrupcy for a few years, and almost closed down a few months ago, after the Italian company which formerly owned a majority share sold it off. Quite surprisingly that they should choose to put themselves in the limelight this way now.
Would it be over optimistic of me to hope for a wave of newspaper solidarity across Europe, all publishing these cartoons.
I can’t imagine a clearer message from the press – displaying the freedom of the press.
Venichka – thanks. You’re right, of course. I was just looking for a word that has ‘Islam’ in its stem. Naturally, the Syrian government is conservative except, of course, when it is not. Or something.
I shall have a lie-down.