Monthly Archives: July 2006

A correspondent sent this story from the Belfast Telegraph.

BBC Northern Ireland last night apologised after leading Radio Ulster presenter Gerry Anderson told his listeners he wanted George Bush “to rot in hell”.

The Radio Ulster host was presenting his morning show yesterday – July 4, US Independence Day – when he said it was also the American President’s birthday.
After telling his listeners Mr Bush had just turned 60, he added: “May I say I hope you rot in hell”.

ADDED LATER: And another thing: “We apologise for any offence caused” is a mingy apology. “We apologise for being offensive” was what Mr Anonymous Spokesman should have said. Or rather, “I apologise for being offensive” was what Mr Gerry Anderson should have said.

LATER STILL: Just looked at the referrer log. It said Instapundit. Or possibly Instapundo’Toole. Welcome one and all.

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts.

. Hat tip: Callingallcomets.

Obrador:

One of the most popular politicians in Mexico … It ended in a triumph for him … As mayor of Mexico City, he won respect as much for his reputation for honesty, a gruelling work schedule and his humble lifestyle as for his ambitious public works and social programmes targeting the poor and disadvantaged … He often draws on his humble origins – growing up in a village of 600 in Tabasco State, the son of a store owner… recognition of indigenous people’s rights, scholarships for the handicapped and improving healthcare and education … He says he will pay for social spending, higher pensions and wages by wiping out corruption, cutting down on government waste and cracking down on tax evasion … His anti-capitalist speeches have sent jitters through the business community and his main rival has said he will bankrupt the country. Mr Lopez Obrador, however, insists he will respect private property and foreign business investment.

Calderon:

A Harvard educated lawyer, Mr Calderon, 44, is favoured by the business community ,,,

Since the election result is too close to call it looks like he is favoured by more than just businessmen.

…A career politician … He has run a negative campaign against his left-wing rival, linking him to Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez in TV ads proclaiming: “Lopez Obrador is a danger to Mexico”.

The Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) eventually banned the ad, despite Mr Calderon’s claim that the move constituted censorship. But Mr Calderon’s showing at the polls has been dented by counter-accusations from Mr Lopez Obrador that he gave contracts to a company part-owned by his brother-in-law while he was energy secretary. Mr Calderon has strongly denied the allegations.

… While Mr Lopez Obrador has pledged to fight crime through social programmes, Mr Calderon has pledged an iron fist approach, with life sentences for kidnappers.

on active service in Afghanistan, the fourth and fifth such deaths in the course of a week. Their deaths were reported as the second item on this evening’s BBC Ten O’Clock News bulletin. What story was judged by the BBC as being more important than the sacrifice of two British soldiers?

Yes, you’ve guessed it – the BBC’s fifteen minute long Ten O’Clock News programme was led by a full five minutes on the resignation of David Beckham as Captain of the England football team, with filmed pieces about the return of the squad (oh look, an aeroplane landing), the disappointment of Sven Goran Eriksson and an obituary style review of David Beckham’s time as captain, “those legendary free kicks”, and so on, even though Beckham has made it clear that he’s staying on as an England player.

The Beckham story is a big story – a big sports story – but it shouldn’t have led the Ten O’Clock News on any but the slowest of news days, and certainly not on a day with sad news like today. It’s not as if England’s football disappointment wasn’t fully covered yesterday, over and above the deaths of sixty people in a Baghdad bombing.

The producers of the Ten O’Clock News should be ashamed of their choice this evening – the British Broadcasting Corporation should know better.

Back in March 2004 the BBC were bigging up the launch of Air America, billed as the “liberal answer to the right-wing shock-jocks which fill the U.S air-waves”. and “regime change radio“. News stories, the Today programme, Front Row (the show that gives ‘liberal arts’ a bad name) were all on the case.

Fiona ‘Fi’ Glover and the Radio Four “Broadcasting House” team even moved to New York to present March 28th’s edition.

“We’re in New York for a special programme examining the launch of new, multi-million dollar, US radio network. ‘Air America’ wants to challenge the dominant right-wing talk shows in the US with a new brand of liberal political shows. We talk to the main players involved and ask can ‘Air America’ succeed ?”

Well, two years on, there are plenty of Air America stories around – mostly negative and on the lines of ‘how long can they survive ?’. Their president has just resigned after a year. The wikipedia entry, while sober, is not a cheerful read. Yet the BBC don’t seem to want to revisit the story on which so much money was lavished two years ago. Can’t imagine why. Come on, Justin, Matt. Come on, Fi !

Hat tip to Rachel: CAMERA have featured the same story about Walid Houdaly / Hodali and his wife Ataf Alyan that I did on Thursday. Their story features the same link as I found, saying that far from being “jailed for 12 years for being a political organiser” as the BBC said, Mr Houdaly was jailed for being an attempted kidnapper himself.

I’m not saying that CAMERA got the link from me. Once you had twigged the spelling confusion anyone who was reasonaby patient could have got this information from Google – or, of course, by inquiring more deeply at the time of the interview. The BBC did not do either.

The statement that Mr Houdaly was “jailed for 12 years for being a political organiser” is a misrepresentation of Israeli society. Is it going to be changed?