Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:


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.

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278 Responses to Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:

  1. archduke says:

    “I assume that the next of kin would want to give the bodies a decent burial vs storing them in a lorry. (probably unrefrigerated)”

    yes indeed – the C4 clip said that the bodies werent refrigerated.

    which begs the question – why arent they buried so? why leave them in a lorry?

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  2. Gil says:

    Did anyone else notice Jeremy Bowen on News at 10? His comments are completely pro-Hiabollah. Every grimace, tic and nuance is calculated to show pro-Hizbollah and anti-Israeli bias.

    Hizbollah can count themselves lucky that they have Geurlin and Bowen. At least Simpson is more restrained.

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  3. will says:

    Simpson’s report included Green Helmet at work, looking resolute. He must have heard about his fame in the UK as he had disguised his helmet by winding bandages around it.

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  4. archduke says:

    “Snow claims to be giving us dramatic new evidence of British Muslim attitudes. Bullshit. He is so far behind the curve it’s almost funny.
    DFH ”
    7/7 happened over a year ago.
    911 happened in 2001.

    why Jon Snow is suddenly “discovering” this Jihad stuff is beyond me.

    on the plus side – at least he IS discovering it. maybe its opened his eyes a bit.

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  5. Eustoned says:

    Interesting: Orla is detested by pro-Israelis and the BBC knows she is detested by pro-Israelis.

    So the corporation, which is under heavy fire for its coverage of the war in Lebanon, sends her to Beirut?

    Nice one.

    Why doesn’t the BBC just dispense with this ‘impartiality’ nonsense and just hire Fisk and Pilger, FFS?

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  6. archduke says:

    will -> i saw white t-shirt in Orla Guerin’s Beirut clip.
    (no i am serious – it really was him)

    he gets around a lot.

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  7. archduke says:

    “on the plus side – at least he IS discovering it. maybe its opened his eyes a bit.”

    may i add – i was a Jon Snow type leftie prior to 7/7

    people can change. i just throw this out in case B-BBC readers think that “all is lost” and despair of the current situation.

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  8. Will Sheward says:

    Did anyone get a screen grab of our friend blue-helmet on the ten o’clock news this evening? Seems he’s re-located to Tyre. Probably part of the Simpson entourage now.

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  9. archduke says:

    LGF is getting hammered with web traffic today

    “Yes, I know we’re running very slowly today, but unfortunately there isn’t much I can do about it right away. We’re on a nice fast dedicated server, but only so many browsers can fit through one internet connection at a time, no matter how large the pipe

    Once the initial swarm of hits from the Reuters Photoshop Scandal tapers off, we should return to our normal speed. Until then, we’ll just have to relax.”

    well , C4 news mentioned LGF by name tonight.

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  10. archduke says:

    “Did anyone get a screen grab of our friend blue-helmet on the ten o’clock news this evening? Seems he’s re-located to Tyre. Probably part of the Simpson entourage now.
    Will Sheward ”

    grimer has the techie stuff to do that, but i’ve not seen him around today unfortunately.

    who is “blue helmet” by the way.

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  11. dave t says:

    “may i add – i was a Jon Snow type leftie prior to 7/7”

    So your taste in ties is just as bad then ?

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  12. will says:

    BBC 10pm News had the Lebanon PM weeping. they did not translate.
    I wonder he was reporting the 40 deaths, later revised to 1?

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  13. K says:

    Hi,

    I just wanted to say that this blog is amazingly effective at countering BBC bias. There have been so many instances, I’m surprised you don’t present Reith with the same 10 point list of most indefensible bias every time he turns up to snipe.

    BTW, am I the only person who thinks Green Helmet man was in the John Simpson footage at the News at Ten? He had his helmet all bandaged up so I presume the “militants” are aware of his notoriety. If it is him AND IF he definitely is Hez-agitprop why doesn’t John Simpson know about him? Or maybe he does.

    K

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  14. archduke says:

    “So your taste in ties is just as bad then ?”
    oh indeed. i even have a homer simpson one.

    “I wonder he was reporting the 40 deaths, later revised to 1?”

    waaah waaah my “massacre” story failed. we didnt have enough spare body props

    for gods sake – being serious now – he wasnt crying when hezbollah took over the south of his country and armed themselves with 15,000 rockets, was he?

    too late man. too late.

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  15. GCooper says:

    BBC One’s 10 o’clock news certainly hit the high-water mark of intellectual garbage this evening.

    Not content with its Middle East coverage being almost entirely from the Hezbollah-supporting Lebanese point of view, it then followed that segment with yet more unadulterated, unquestioning ‘Green’ bullshit about CO2.

    Now, it’s true the BBC can hide behind a parliamentary report (equally profound in its gaping-jawed gullibility) but, as ever, the Indy readers at the Beeb handsomely repaid all the effort put in by the PR people from Greenpeace and Fiends of the Earth to report, once again, just a single side of the argument.

    Balanced? Fair? Unbiased? It’s clearer with each day that passes that the people who work for BBC news have lost any sense that there is a valid alternative point of view.

    They simply no longer countenance the existence of any other worldview than their own, narrow, collectivist, metropolitan, self-loathing, hegemonic, neo-puritanical claptrap.

    Time to tear it down.

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  16. archduke says:

    “BTW, am I the only person who thinks Green Helmet man was in the John Simpson footage at the News at Ten”

    i saw him too.

    And “white t-shirt” man turned up in Beirut in Orla Guerin’s clip.

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  17. archduke says:

    newsnight hints at hezbollah media control – hez were checking journo identity cards, asking who they were and all that.

    this was put down to the situation being “tense”.

    ah yes. no media control – just hez being a bit tetchy… nothing to see here , move along.

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  18. will says:

    Denselow on Newsnight repeatedly refers to “the Shabbaa Farms Region

    Region!!- 8.7 miles by 1.6 miles

    He provides no explanation why this “region” currently lies outdide Lebanon.

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  19. archduke says:

    GCooper -> re C02 -> i presume you are referring to this:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5251022.stm

    what a silly idea.

    and no incentives proposed to encourage me to stick solar panels on my roof.

    so, if there are no incentives proposed, you and i know that its a load of crap. its just a tax grab, dressed up as “green” issue.

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  20. archduke says:

    newsnight -> clip of olmert saying “lets face it, we’re fighting syria and iran”

    israeli UN rep on now.

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  21. Eustoned says:

    I wonder if ‘Green Helmet’ and his buddies put on an ambulance display for Simpson and his posse?

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  22. archduke says:

    newsnight – on reuters

    they miss the important aspect of the F16 photo – that the F16 was firing missiles , when in fact, it was just firing a single flare.

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  23. archduke says:

    EU Ref are on newsnight now.

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  24. Jon says:

    Newsnight – talk on manipulation of photographs – can we trust what we see? – The next question should be can we trust what the media tell us?

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  25. Bryan says:

    Who was on the Israeli side of the border reporting on the World Service about katyushas whistling over her head?

    Katya Adler, of course.

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  26. mick in the uk says:

    Here’s some light relief from one of Archdukes countrymen.

    “Hmmm, interesting. On the other hand it could just mean that Jews, as well as being excellent for balancing your chequebook and dispensing other financial advice, are really f****ing good at fighting. I mean, if you were no good at it why would you make your country right in the middle of a load of other countries who hate you?”

    “That is a good point. Like if you went to a bar and you sat at a table surrounded by all your enemies. Only a double-hard bastard would attempt anything so crazy. Jews are like Bruce Willis from the Die Hard movies. Totally outnumbered by people who want to kill him but are so crap at shooting their guns in his face he always manages to fight them off and save the day.”

    http://twentymajor.blogspot.com/

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  27. halldor says:

    The BBC news programme Newsnight aired a segment on the Reutersgate story, interviewing a Reuters rep and a Telegraph editor who were far from apologetic, and in general proposing the version that in “the fog of war” it’s “inevitable” that distortions and falsifications occur – as examples,Tim Whewell, the segment’s presenter, referred to filmed World War II appearances and speeches by Churchill which were actually staged by an actor, and to the photographs of prisoner abuse in Iraq by British troops which turned out to be faked.

    The Telegraph editor offered the argument that even if the photo of the dead child in a rescuer’s arms was a fake, it still conveyed the tragedy of the event.

    Still, at least the story was aired – and “bloggers” were praised for their acuity and sharpness of vision. “Internet bloggers”, viewers were told, were there to keep the MSM on its toes.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5253842.stm

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  28. archonix says:

    Re gibson, let m,e say this: Jackie Mason defends him. He’s spent the last 50 years not being an anti-semite, and people do say very stupid things when they’re drunk.

    I don’t like Mel Gibson. He’s made some good movies, but he has an attitude about the English, and Britain, and it really gets on my nerves sometimes. But… I don’t think he’s anti-semetic.

    Maybe more evidence will emerge in coming weeks, but unless it does I’m going to stick by this belief.

    Also, for what it’s worth, I suspect he doesn’t appreciate the BBC’s “help” all that much. 😉

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  29. pounce says:

    Will wrote:
    “Denselow on Newsnight repeatedly refers to “the Shabbaa Farms Region”

    I noticed that as well. Not one mention on how the UN says it belongs to Syria. Now contrast that with how Albanian Muslims want Kosovo to cede from Serbia and the BBC (never mind the UN) is more than happy to grant them their wish.
    No mention from Al Beeb that Kosovo is actually the Serbian holyland.

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  30. Anonymous says:

    http://newsbusters.org/

    Reuters and Adnan Hajj the dodgy photographers are now the top search terms on Technorati. Reuters are really getting a pasting.

    The more they refuse to investigate again the Qana photos, the longer the trouble will last. It was the lying that sunk Profumo, not the deed. It was the cover-up that sunk Nixon.

    Is Reuters going to cover up the rest ?

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  31. dumbcisco says:

    the 11.54 post was mine

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  32. Ryan H says:

    I have a theory on the Houla Massacre that there were actually 40 people killed and not 1

    However they could not get the bodies to Houla on time, because the Israeli’s attack Ambulaces and have made the roads impassible.

    In addition the proposal of photoshopping the bodies into the massacre scene was not seen as viable.

    The next massacre will be closer to Tyre since it is where the victims are stored.

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  33. dumbcisco says:

    EUReferendum has a shot of Green Helmet Man’s appearance with John Simpson tonight.

    Doesn’t the BBC realise there has been a hornets swarm over that man all week ? They must be crazy to let him appear with Simpson on screen.

    http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006/08/green-helmet-goes-under-cover.html

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  34. GCooper says:

    halldor writes:

    “The BBC news programme Newsnight aired a segment on the Reutersgate story, interviewing a Reuters rep and a Telegraph editor who were far from apologetic…”

    That was a shoddy and diingenuous piece of work from all sorts of angles.

    The kid from the Telegraph was one of the new generation of ‘website journalists’, so shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but it was shaming to hear anyone representing that newspaper (once revered for the accuracy of its news reporting) reduced to spouting the ‘fake but true’ defence created by the NY Times when it was caught-out lying, a few years ago.

    It was also a howl to see the Beeb actually talking to the Telegraph at all. But, of course, it was only when someone with inky fingers had done ‘something bad’. Under any other circumstance they’d have called up one of their pals from the Grauniad or the Indy.

    All the same, little Jimmy Olsen, cub reporter from the Telegraph, still needs a good talking to about the difference between ‘true’ and ‘false’.

    It seems his mind has been dulled by some moral relativist at one of our universities.

    I suppose they no longer have gruff old Scotts journalists who clawed-up the hard way, down in Docklands, do they? Shame on them.

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  35. dumbcisco says:

    Its a dog-eat-dog media world.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/07/reuters.photog.reut/index.html

    – one of the leading stories on CNN.
    Also the No 3 story on Fox – who had a sharp TV spot on the story yesterday –

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207352,00.html

    The Guardian is one of the many newspapers carrying the embarrasment of Reuters :

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1839151,00.html

    has anyone posted this ?

    http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2006/08/hezbollah-planted-disabled-children-in.html

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  36. archduke says:

    “On the other hand it could just mean that Jews, as well as being excellent for balancing your chequebook and dispensing other financial advice, are really f****ing good at fighting. I mean, if you were no good at it why would you make your country right in the middle of a load of other countries who hate you?”

    http://twentymajor.blogspot.com/

    mick -> spoken like a true irish man.straight , to the point and “no bollocks”, as they say back home.

    in stark contrast to Bowenesque waffling, and Keanesque crying. ( i do apologise for the export of Feargal…but hey, he’s not reporting for RTE is he? self interest and all that – sorry chaps)

    here’s green helmet – but he’s got his helmet taped up now.

    http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4640/388/320/GH%20wh%202.jpg

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  37. archduke says:

    just flicking around on the tv and i stumbled across “sharia tv” on channel 4

    http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/S/shariahtv/

    still waiting for any coverage of aussie matters or coverage of Chinese affairs.

    oh – i forgot – chinese folks dont blow themselves up on tube trains….

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  38. Eustoned says:

    Feargal is not reporting – he is carrying out research for his next book.

    He really is quite dire, isn’t he? I mean, I cannot even accuse him of ‘bias’. He reminds me of a starry-eyed probation officer or a trendy vicar.

    “I feel your pain, Mr Hezbullyboy. Please don’t shoot me – let’s have a group hug and E-M-O-T-E.”

    At least Bowen has a world-weariness and slightly ravaged look that one would expect of a long-time reporter.

    Jeez – give me Roy Keane any day.

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  39. archduke says:

    Roy Keane would probably ask Olmert for a nuke and say “where’s tehran so?”

    there’s two sides to Cork city – one is Feargal, the other is Roy.

    you can guess which side i grew up on.

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  40. archduke says:

    “At least Bowen has a world-weariness and slightly ravaged look that one would expect of a long-time reporter.”

    to be honest – he’s doing ok. he does have that ravaged tone to his reporting – a kind of “shit – this is war. it sucks,but here it is”

    oh god – they’ve got orla guerin (yet another fellow national – god , i really am sorry about this) on bbc news 24 right now…

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  41. archduke says:

    amazing – an arab delegation is going to the UN according to BBC News 24.

    funny how such a delegation was never sent during the 6 year hezbollah build up.

    amazing how such a delegation was never sent when Hamas was blowing up Jews in restaurants during their suicide bombing spree.

    NOW – when the IDF is killing hundreds of hez terrorists, these Arab states are now squealing to the UN.

    hmmm.. par for the course. kill a few Jews, and if they hit back too hard, go running off to the UN.

    tossers…

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  42. archduke says:

    john simpson – news 24 – covering the hez rockets.

    and to be fair, he’s doing a good job at explaining the sheer size of the hez arsenal.

    not a bad report. well done Mr Simpson.

    (now if you could show a few photos of those Nazi salutes….)

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  43. Market Participant says:

    @Ryan H,

    One problem with doing the massacre near Tyre is that bodies could be getting a bit shopworn and fragrant.

    The heat out there is typically in the high 80s*F, which isn’t good for perishable merchandise.

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  44. terry johnson says:

    From the Americas section of bbc on line is a piece on how Michigan’s Arab community are “suddenly” supporting Hezb’allah. The following extract gives you the general tone..

    “Most Lebanese Americans in Dearborn are Shia Muslims. They do not agree with Hezbollah’s Islamist political ideology, but see it as a Lebanese group fighting Israeli aggression.”

    No evidence to support the claim that Dearborn’s Shais don’t agree with Hezb’allah’s islamist political ideology of course. Musn’t mention that lovely Hez want to destroy Israel and kill all Jews – that wouldn’t fit into al-beeb’s constant attempts to portray terrorist sympathesisers as good people forced into extremism by nasty old Israel. The article goes on to reflect the shia’s surprise that most Americans rightly see Hezbo as terrorists without mentioning that Americans might still remember how 240 US MArines on peacekeeping duties in Lebanon were murdered by Hezb back in 1982. Don’t they know any historical facts at al-beeb ?

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  45. GCooper says:

    Anonymous refers us to:

    “http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ tec…theressmoke.htm”

    Utterly pathetic. I have no idea who this Shane Richmond is (save that he’s clearly some sort of Telegraph hack confined to website duties), but if he seriously thinks this sort of casuistry is any sort of excuse for publishing lies, then he is hardly worthy of serious consideration.

    The MSM has been had by the sloppy, partisan hacks who now staff the news agencies, from which they take their news feeds because their proprietors are too mean to employ their own reporters.

    Just count how many AFP, Reuters, PA credits there are in your newspaper tomorrow. Now work out (because you can be certain Hezbollah, Hamas et al certainly have), how easy it is to infiltrate your stooges into their services as freelances.

    Even ignoring the miserable biases of the few staff members some of these MSM bastions have in the Middle East, that the bulk of their coverage derives from freelances in the pay of news agencies (and subject to who knows what motivations) is a joke.

    And, boy, do they know it!

    Why else would someone like Richmond huff and puff so hard in defence of the indefensible?

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  46. gordon-bennett says:

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/aug06/wheretheressmoke.htm

    This shane richmond article contains a stupid error of logic in its “reasoning”.

    Many in the blogosphere are using Hajj’s misdeeds as evidence supporting the claims that photos in Qana were staged. I think they’re making a leap.

    Hajj was at Qana but he didn’t take any of the disputed photographs of “white t-shirt man”.

    Of course, for many, if the honesty of one photographer is questioned then all are dishonest. This is a bit like saying that since some soldiers tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib, all soldiers are torturers.

    No it isn’t. It is a bit like saying that since some soldiers tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib, all soldiers who were present during the acts are torturers.

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  47. gordon-bennett says:

    Phoned beeb info today.

    I complained on 2 counts:

    1. The beeb showed film of only lebanese casualties, especially of children.

    2. The lebanese casualty figures were always given as N civilians killed of whom X per cent were children. Israeli casualties were given as a number of civilians and a number of soldiers and no percentage of children.

    In addition, we know that 400 hezbollah terrorists had been killed because we know that the IDF are publishing a list of all their names.

    Commenting to the beeb hasn’t made any difference except to make me feel better.

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  48. Market Participant says:

    One thing that the BBC forgets is the role of patriotism in America. Simply put most americans are proud to be American.

    The anti-nationalist appeals of the left, just dont resonate with Americans. Hence, the implict anti-nationalist appeals of apoligists for muslim terror don’t work very well.

    Also, the fact that Hezbollah did kill 240 US Marines makes it very easy for politicians to “wave the bloody shirt” and scuttle any compromise with Hezbollah. Think the Dubai Ports Fiasco’ only much worse.

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  49. Market Participant says:

    Meanwhile, in Britain it is the leftists waving the bloody shirt, demanding compromise with terrorism.

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