- “Now, we feel like a child who’s been told that Santa Claus does not exist …” Eamonn Fitzgerald’s Rainy Day posts about seeing all reference to an error and the writer’s correction of it disappear from the BBC website.
That this happens will be no surprise to most of our readers – but of course it is a surprise to millions of people who have grown up thinking better of the BBC.
Note to BBC: Corrections are good. But at least say that something has been corrected. At the very least alter the “last edited” field to avoid telling an untruth. No, on second thoughts, that isn’t the very least. At the very least do not hide evidence that a correction was necessary.
Better yet would be to take on my colleague Andrew’s excellent suggestion. If Wikipedia can do it, why not the BBC?
- Hat tip to “field.size” who linked to this glimpse through the looking glass.
- Talking of which, we briefly had a “Watch” site, Biased Biased BBC.
- Micheal Gove writes in the Times: BBC bigwigs can’t eat their cake and have it.
- A few days ago someone posted a comment including a list of links to BBC coverage of political, usually local government, misconduct. The point was that if the misdeeds are done by Conservatives the party tends to be mentioned, but if not, not. Somebody find me that comment and I’ll put a link to it in this space. (ADDED 13/9: Found. Scroll up for a post called “Forgetting to mention the party.”)
UPDATE: There is room for debate as to which corrections are significant enough to be announced. I don’t think anyone should expect the BBC to notify the world when a superfluous comma is deleted. This blog certainly doesn’t! A good rule of thumb for deciding which errors merit a public correction might be: if it hurts, do it.
Take it you also saw this story on Harry’s Place about how the BBC will no longer show images of planes crashing into the WTC ‘for the sake of the relatives of victims’.
http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2006/07/10/terror_on_the_tv.php
For the same reason, I assume, the BBC will not show pictures of the celebrations all across the Middle East following 9/11
For the same reason, I assume, the BBC will not show pictures of the celebrations all across the Middle East following 9/11
They did last night in the prog on the Mike’s Place bombers, comments on which appear in a thread below.
will
Fair enough – apologies to the BBC. However, I have not seen these pictures on the BBC since 2001 (indeed, since September 2001) nor have I heard that they have been shown since then. As with last night’s programme, I may be wrong and I would be interested to know if the pictures have been shown more frequently.
Umbongo, will
The programme last night was NOT made by the BBC themselves. Maybe that is why the account showed the pictures of the WTC – and of the celebrations in Palestine.
A few days ago someone posted a comment including a list of links to BBC coverage of political, usually local government, misconduct. The point was that if the misdeeds are done by Conservatives the party tends to be mentioned, but if not, not. Somebody find me that comment and I’ll put a link to it in this space
The post was by me on 05/07/06 at02.23 am in responce to a post by anonymous at 01.43am
I also posted “The BBC’s impartiality is utterly unfettered” from EU ref at 05am today in full, so thats two hat tips to me. Fearlessly exposing the Authoritarian Socialist Core of the Spud-Thick BBC.
Thanks, SIN. Will track down your comment and post. However I must point out that sometimes I do read blogs and newspapers on my own account, you know!
I know you do, I was just messin` with you.
Cant you get http://5thnovember.blogspot.com/ to link BBBC?
Guido has done so several times…
Are you sure the BBC are not trying to bury history??
I mean, they show programmes on the Holocaust with regularity……are they rubbing the Jews noses in it or something??…….
Anonymous,
The BBC restricts its attempts to distort or bury history to events of far lesser magnitude than the Holocaust. Even the BBC wouldn’t stoop so low as to try to do the same with the Holocaust.
Well, not yet, anyway.
“Are you sure the BBC are not trying to bury history??
I mean, they show programmes on the Holocaust with regularity……are they rubbing the Jews noses in it or something??…….”
What the hell?