We have received several comments and emails about the selective BBC reporting of the comments made by UN relief chief Jan Egeland.
“EUstoned” tells it well:
Egeland visits Beirut and expresses disgust at Israel’s actions there. BBC reports his comments thus:
‘UN appalled by Beirut devastation’
A couple of days later, Egeland expresses disgust at the actions of Hezbollah militants. The BBC buries his comments six paragraphs in and gives the story a misleadingly anodyne head:
‘UN launches Lebanese aid appeal’
Hello?
Another email making a similar point, from John who helps run CBC watch in Canada:
Natalie,
I was listening to the BBC world service news at the top of the hour and they told the story of the U.N. Humanitarian Chief accusing Israel of “disproportionate force.”
But neglected to tell this one: U.N. Chief Accuses Hezbollah of ‘Cowardly Blending’ Among Refugees
Even CBC told both stories.
Best,
John
Here’s Melanie Philips. And according to Stephen Pollard, yesterday Jan Egeland’s remarks about Hezbollah’s “cowardly blending” were only to be found in the 21st and 22nd paragraphs of a 24 paragraph report.
I have just opened the Al Beeb’s Middle East webpage at 18:00 BST. There is no mention in any of the headlines of the 100 missiles shot by Hizbollah from Lebanon to Israel and of the those injured today. Lots about the poor Lebanese and the poor Palestinians, but as political correctness demands, it is always open season on Israelis, even if they are Arabs.
It strikes me that Egeland should have condemned Hizbullah’s ‘human shield’ policy during his tour of their strongholds in Beirut, not wait until he was safely out of Lebanon.
But I suppose he felt he had to wait, otherwise Hizbullah would have strung him up from the nearest lamppost, provided they could have found one still standing in the rubble.
Do I detect something just a little hypocritcal in Mr. Egeland’s behaviour?
Now, of course, ‘news’ organisations like the BBC are cherry-pcking his comments to highlight the one that absolves the terrorists of blame. What did he expect?
My fisking of this beeb article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5197186.stm on B-BBC, last week: http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/115331361814547448/#296299 contained criticism of Egeland’s confusion regarding the human shield question.
Incidently, that article has been edited substantially since I fisked it, so if you do read both the ‘original’ articel and my comments, please bear that in mind.
It seems the BBC has a bunch of muppets doing their reports, and once they get cought out, the BBC Boss editors, go around to wipe up the mess of their junoir staff…..
But not before it is all tagged and bagged for all the world to see by B-BBC and 100s of others….
Shame the BBC can’t get it righ……good job they don’t do something important like work for NASA or the Firebrigade, where they have to get it right 1st time……
Seems the amatures at the BBC keep hacking away at their reports like frustrated poets, trying to get their words out…..
Bring on the sackings and redundancies……the BBC won’t be missed, it will be like a dark shroud lifted from Englands soul.
I don’t guess there is much chance of this story getting reported on the UK side of the pond:
A Canadian U.N. observer, one of four killed at a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his former commander, a Canadian retired major-general, Lewis MacKenzie, in which he wrote that Hezbollah fighters were “all over” the U.N. position, Mr. MacKenzie said. Hezbollah troops, not the United Nations, were Israel’s target, the deceased observer wrote.
http://www.nysun.com/article/36860