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Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:
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The guy who writes The Coppers Blog
http://coppersblog.blogspot.com/
Has recently been interviewed by the delightful Rachel Amatt from Sky TV.
Wonder why it wasn’t the bbc? He had been approached by them:
http://coppersblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/police-on-telly.html
But so many people posted to say what stitch-up merchants the bbc were that he obviously went for Sky.
Well, given the choice who would you pick, Rachel Amatt or Orla Guerring?
Crap bbc, crap employees.
Here’s a picture of Rachel
http://www.gogomag.com/ra2/
And here’s one of Guerring
Oh I couldn’t be bothered with Guerrin, and I doubt if the bbc could be bothered to stick a picture of her up either.
Old BBC hand Tim Luckhurst takes a swipe at the BBC’s favorite instant expert, Shami Chakrabarti.
Liberty belle becomes a pin-up for extremism
Almost single-handedly she has shifted the civil liberties lobby so far beyond the parameters of mainstream opinion that ministers pray she will oppose them. Their logic is simple: if Liberty objects, Middle Britain will automatically conclude that a policy is pure common sense.
Liberty’s guiding principle should be John Stuart Mill’s advice that “The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.” By championing the errant individual to the detriment of the majority she ignores it completely.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-2464936,00.html
The BBC will keep plugging away with her, I suppose.
GC: “But it is by Lyse Doucet”
Fair cop. Her accent is awful on the ear. Not fit for sanding doors, IMHO, but good enough for bringing on a bout of tinnitus.
Ritter:
“With journalistic skills like that you’ll be lined up for promotion through the BBC hack ranks in no time”
Am I a media student or working for the BBC? It’s not clear which fantasy lifestyle I’m being given here.
Anyway, not working for the BBC, I’d bet the house I’m not being lined up for promotion there at any time. Still, if I’m being lined up for promotion at places I don’t work, I’ll take promotion at a hedge fund, thanks.
In terms of rationale: TPO’s rationale that because he can’t find a report on the web the BBC can’t possibly have covered it vs my rationale that the fact that the BBC had a correspondent there and their longstanding coverage of other jirgas and Afghanistan in general means it is likely they have covered it somewhere in their English-speaking output.
Check it out:
Business – BBC Governors’ Review of Impartiality
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/22/business.shtml
“The Board of Governors has today published the terms of reference and announced the Chairman and members of the independent panel it has appointed to review the impartiality of the BBC’s coverage of business.”
Sir Alan Budd (Chair), Provost of The Queen’s College, Oxford
Was previously a member of the Independent Review Panel on the Future Funding of the BBC (1999), Chaired by Gavyn Davies
Click to access reviewco.pdf
Stephen Jukes, head of Bournemouth University’s Media School
Chris Bones, currently Principal of Henley Management College
John Naughton, Professor of the Public Understanding of Technology at the Open University;
Barbara Stocking, Director of Oxfam
Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Britain’s best-known Paralympic athlete
Remember this is a review of the ‘impartiality’ of the BBC’s coverage of business.
What do they mean by that? Even the language used is left-wing PC nonsense. It’s not that the BBC is ‘impartial’ or not when it comes to business, (in the sense of promoting one business over another business) it’s that they don’t understand business, and positively attack the concept of capitalism whenever the chance is available.
Anyway – if I was feeling mean I’d say it’s a panel of academics with a campaigner and athlete thrown in.
How come Jeff Randall didn’t get an invite?
It’s the sheer arrogance of these people that never ceases to amaze me.
“The Lebanese crisis explained ”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6173322.stm
“Tiny Lebanon baffles outsiders.”
No it doesn’t. Crap bbc, crap employees.
“Anyway – if I was feeling mean I’d say it’s a panel of academics with a campaigner and athlete thrown in.”
If you were feeling selective, you’d cut out the text that shows three of the academics have experience of business, too:
Sir Alan Budd, Provost of The Queen’s College, Oxford and a former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England
Stephen Jukes, head of Bournemouth University’s Media School and former head of global news at Reuters;
Chris Bones, currently Principal of Henley Management College and a former director of Cadbury’s Schweppes;
Ritter
Similar to the new Board of Trustees. jr tried to take me to task on that one, but I pointed out that two of the new Trustees Board have spouses directly employed by the bbc. A clear conflict of interests.
Ritter
I just picked one at random from the list, Barbara Stocking.
Just a quick flip through all of the entries about her says it all really.
Have to say though that, given Oxfam’s notorious cockups during the tsunami, I wouldn’t trust them to organise an outing to Bognor let alone comment on business.
I seem to recall that the US played by far and away the major part in the relief work, something that was constantly downplayed by the crap bbc.
Interesting too, the fact that various media outlets exposed the shortcomings of a lot of highly paid ‘aid’ workers, the same ones that seem to inhabit the bbc couches, whilst the bbc ignored these shortcomings.
(do you think that will keep the troll busy)
heh-heh…
“Not for the first time in human history, an internal e-mail has come to light which seems to put BBC News in a bad light.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/index.html
Shouldn’t cast a bad light here, given the BBC is supposed to be institutionally biased towards the Labour Party.
Oh yes that Stephen Jukes, former global news editor for Reuters? He who wrote a memo to his staff banning the use of the word “Terrorist”. I can see how that would be attractive to the BBC.
Retraction Required
Reuters’s mistake.
http://www.nationalreview.com/jos/jos092501.shtml
“Here is what Steven Jukes, Reuter’s global head of news, wrote in a memo to his staff in an internal memo (made available to the world by media critic Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post): “We all know,” he wrote, “that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter and that Reuters upholds the principle that we do not use the word terrorist . . .”
In an interview Jukes explained this ruling on the grounds that “We’re trying to treat everyone on a level playing field, however tragic it’s been and however awful and cataclysmic for the American people . . .”
And he added that “we don’t want to jeopardize the safety of our staff . . . in Gaza, the West Bank and Afghanistan . . .”
and
Wall Street Journal – Editorial
http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=95001205
“Stephen Jukes, global news editor for Reuters, the British wire service, has ordered his scribes not to use the word terror to refer to the Sept. 11 atrocity, the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz reports (second item). “We all know that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter and that Reuters upholds the principle that we do not use the word terrorist,” Jukes writes in an internal memo. “To be frank, it adds little to call the attack on the World Trade Center a terrorist attack.”
Jukes tells Kurtz: “We’re trying to treat everyone on a level playing field.”
Nice to hear Humph ripping 7 shades of sh*t out of Red Ken on Today this morning over the London Olympics funding (anyone out there working class and live in London? Yes you WILL be paying through the nose). Not what you’d expect….
Helen Boaden writes (above)…..
“We know the public trusts us to deliver impartial and accurate coverage……
Anyone got links to any recent data supporting this claim?
“… there is a strong likelihood…” is almost as good as “While that may be true, presumably the Geneva convention…”
Arguments can not be won on the basis of presumption and supposition, neither should we be obliged to search for something in the depths of the BBC archives.
“You cannot reason someone out of a position he has not been reasoned into.”
– Jonathan Swift
BBC kicks off its Digital Access Campaign
“The BBC has launched its new marketing campaign for Digital Access.”
“The first part of the campaign will run over seven weeks to 31 December 2006 and comprises four staggered television trails which will air on BBC One and BBC Two.
The second part of the campaign with the fifth execution will air in January for two weeks.
Accompanying the TV trails are a variety of radio executions that will play out on all BBC analogue radio networks from 25 November.
In addition, the public can view the trails online at bbc.co.uk/digital.”
Who’s paying for that lot then?
More Doublespeak from The Editors
at its worst we see it in what are often called ‘honour killings’ – young women murdered because of disapproval of their sex lives. These of course are very very rare.
from http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/11/talking_about_sex.html
Very Very Rare?
Figures show 13 people die every year in honour killings, but police and support groups believe it is many more.
Very Very Rare?
The Metropolitan Police are investigating 200 deaths linked to honour killings.
from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5311244.stm
Very,Very Rare?
There are no reliable statistics but it is thought at least 60 women are killed in honour killings in Turkey each year.
Very, Very Rare?
Hundreds of people, especially women, are killed or injured in Pakistan every year in the name of honour.
from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4155162.stm
Very, Very Rare?
At least 19 women lost their lives in “honour killings” in Jordan last year.
from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4676445.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6170498.stm
Three views from Lebanon; none blame the Syrians.
Thankyou BBC.
TPO wrote:
If that terminology is used in the United States (and I’d appreciate input from any US contributors to this site), then it is incumbent on the bbc to ensure that the casual headline scanner is fully aware of the true meaning.
Mistrial has a connotation in this country, which, to the casual observer suggests something improper has occurred when, in fact, the opposite has taken place.
Indeed, we in the US use the word “mistrial” when a jury cannot reach a verdict. As such I have no problem with the headline, although I can understand that people in other countries might not know exactly what a mistrial is.
I write this at 11.53 am:
“Mr Gary Smith needs immediate promotion to Head of News Gathering to replace Bimbo Boaden who, in turn, needs to be fired without delay.”
And by 14:10 Bimbo Boaden is shoving this out:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/11/bonus_controversy.html#commentsanchor
Shows they must be taking notice of this blog.
Bio,
“neither should we be obliged to search for something in the depths of the BBC archives.”
Well if someone claims the BBC hasn’t covered something, they have the choice of either presuming they haven’t or looking for some corrobating evidence.
Thanks Ted
Having once been involved in the processes here, mistrial here carries quite different connotations which can range from procedural mistakes to jury tampering.
TPO:
It’s the sheer arrogance of these people that never ceases to amaze me.
“The Lebanese crisis explained “
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6173322.stm
The accompanying photo looks very suspicious to me – perhaps pounce, dave t or others with military experience could comment. Another case of “Fauxtography”?
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42345000/jpg/_42345054_blast203.jpg
The lines of debris shooting out seem disproportionately long to my untrained eye…
Well if someone claims the BBC hasn’t covered something, they have the choice of either presuming they haven’t or looking for some corrobating evidence.
DifferentAnon | 22.11.06 – 4:35 pm
Somebody claimed that a current event covered by other media now isn’t covered by the BBC. That claim has been upheld; the BBC hasn’t covered that event now.
We try not to presume anything here. Now please go away, we’re doing our best not to feed you.
Human Rights Watch condemns Palestinian human shields as a violation of international law
Calling civilians to a location that the opposing side has identified for attack is at worst human shielding, at best failing to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians from the effects of attack. Both are violations of international humanitarian law….
“There is no excuse for calling civilians to the scene of a planned attack,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Whether or not the home is a legitimate military target, knowingly asking civilians to stand in harm’s way is unlawful.”
Will “DifferentAnon” now please Shut The Fook Up?
Seeing as you’re getting all precise on us, Bio, this is what he wrote:
“If I had to rely on the bbc then I’d never have known about this.”
He would have known about it. It, and its agenda was flagged by the BBC in October. So despite the kangaroo legalese of “the claim was upheld”, it doesn’t hold.
Would he have known about the result?
Not from the BBC website. Have you or he shown it wasn’t on TV or radio? No, even though we know the BBC had at least one correspondent there.
It’s your presumption it hasn’t been covered and seeing as you hate presumption, you’ll know that a signficant number of times when the BBC is presumed by the commenters here not to have covered something it turns out that they have: either because it is somewhere else on the web and they haven’t searched hard enough – although you’ve stated you don’t believe people should have to search archives to show what they presume – or because JR, when he drops in, has access to an internal database that can show in more detail what has been covered in radio and TV programmes.
If you dislike presumption so much, why not take umbrage at the regular presumption that absence on the BBC website means it hasn’t covered it elsewhere in its output.
Do we need even more puff-pieces on Islam?
Al-Beeb thinks we do. From the Middle East section of news.bbc.co.uk
In pictures
Muslim women in New York speak out
Biodegradable
Just think pedant.
Who are you calling a pendant?
It’s not pendant, it’s pedant.
See what I mean!
🙂
Isn’t there something scarily Soviet Union about the Editor’s Blogs, indeed about the whole of the BBC output. Pages and pages of Editors slapping their own backs and praising themselves when the BBC does a good show or story, and a very dismissive sneer when responding to criticism – words to the effect of “Nothing to see here, move along quietly”. Adverts advertising itself in between programmes. Now I see programmes are being broken up to advertise upcoming BBC programmes. Adverts with queues of in house Beeboids lining up to praise itself.
Why do it? We all have to pay for it anyway, and you already amply demonstrate your disregard for those who don’t like “What You Do”.
For those who wnat me to go further, read the millions of posts on this blog on the way the BBC tries to tell people what to think, and the way it suppresses information that is unhelpful to its cause.
The BBC and the full story;
Hungry man who killed swan jailed
A man who claimed he killed a swan because he was hungry on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has been jailed for two months.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/6174344.stm
I bet not many of you folks read this story. I’ve only posted it to highlight this little snippet of multiculturalism in the Uk;
“”The officers told him the swan was the property of the Queen and he replied, ‘I hate the Queen, I hate this country.'”
Well mate you know where the door is, shut it on the way out.
Quote:
Biodegradable:
The accompanying photo looks very suspicious to me – perhaps pounce, dave t or others with military experience could comment. Another case of “Fauxtography”?
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/ i…54_blast203.jpg
It doesn’t look like fauxtography. Rather, it looks like a hit (an Israeli hit?) on a military target including munitions or rockets, some of which exploded as a result and shot up. There were a number of such cases in the August Lebanon war.
Bio
Sorry for the delay, I’m putting little one to bed.
Oh yes I see. Can I go further… a bauble.
Won’t be back until tomorrow…. good hunting (Oh shit … that’s me in the Countryside Alliance)
Pounce
just caught your last before I shut down for tonight.
“The court heard a community mental health team was anxious to help Miah, who had been going through a period of instability, according to his solicitor.”
Oh yeah. How much. Considered resettlement back to the Caliphate!!
He had no previous convictions.
Here or everywhere?
Keep up the good work Pounce… much appreciated.
The BBC statement of the day;
“The BBC’s Alex Last in Lagos says the line between criminal gangs and political militants is often blurred.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6172546.stm
No sticky brown stuff Sherlock?
Bio
Just one more……….. is he down the student’s bar now?
It doesn’t look like fauxtography. Rather, it looks like a hit (an Israeli hit?) on a military target including munitions or rockets, some of which exploded as a result and shot up…
Anat | 22.11.06 – 6:49 pm
That sounds reasonable – compared to the height of the buildings in the foreground that explosion certainly was impressive. The photo is being used on several BBC pages now.
Just one more……….. is he down the student’s bar now?
TPO | 22.11.06 – 7:07 pm
He’s been kicked out of there for never getting a round in.
😆
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_west/6174344.stm
I bet not many of you folks read this story. I’ve only posted it to highlight this little snippet of multiculturalism in the Uk;
“”The officers told him the swan was the property of the Queen and he replied, ‘I hate the Queen, I hate this country.'”
He also said, “I am a Muslim, I am fasting, I needed to eat.” Excuse me, I thought fasting meant you don’t eat!
(OK, I know that Ramadan means you can eat after dark.)
“You killed the swan at night. It was a cruel and reprehensible act. I don’t know exactly how the animal died. There seems to be speculation you may have bitten it.“
Clash of Civilizations? What Civilization?
O/Tish
There were a number of such cases in the August Lebanon war.
That would be the conflict that resulted in “appalling slaughter” according to the big mutt reading the ITV news at 6:30 (in introducing a report on the current situation in Lebanon).
“Appalling slaughter”, wonder how they would have reported WW1 or 2 events.
Only O/Tish as such hyperbole could & does come as easily from the BBC mouthpieces. Why can’t they just report? Is it because they are failed thespians rather than journalists?
Looking forward to ‘Panorama’ exclusive on BBC bungs and bonuses to ‘create’ news —- Not half!
Half a story, half baked, half truths, half cocked , half assed – ‘This is what we do’ (all of it by halves)
In that case – halve the license fee.
Will
Nah, they’re definitely failed journalists, that’s why the reporting is so s**t.
Failed thespian is probably seen as an added bonus.
DennisThe Menace
the TV-tax should be 1/2p rounded down.
Something which will not be reported by the BBC regarding their recent exclusive with an Al-Quaeda ‘double agent’ – one Omar Nasiri. I don’t recollect a mention in their news programmes and there is no mention on their website that I can discern.
Basically, the guys a liar and a phantasist, see attached link (its in dutch) but you should be able to get the gist.
http://www.hln.be/hlns/cache/det/art_304977.html
When he was supposed to be in Afghanistan in a training camp in 1995 he was actually in prison in Belgium.
This is basic research and verification, something apparently beyond a +3 BN GBP annual income organisation.
Half a story, half-baked, half-truths, half-cocked, half assed – ‘This is what we do’ (all of it by halves).
They’re so bad at what they do they make Joseph Goebbels look a saint.
Here’s a picture of Rachel
http://www.gogomag.com/ra2/
And here’s one of Guerring
Oh I couldn’t be bothered with Guerrin, and I doubt if the bbc could be bothered to stick a picture of her up either.
Here’s one of Guerin:
http://word.oftheday.com.au/userimages/user756_1146195630.jpg
Today’s BBC media student is actually referring us to BBC Pashto in defending his claim that the BBC has covered the recent jirga:
BBC Pashto
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pashto/index.shtml
Desperate?
Nice one Ritter! The Beebie’s response to a November 20th story by uncovering five year old links is hilarious. 😆
Re: Anonymous | 22.11.06 – 9:38 pm | #
Obviously a picture of the blessed Orla on a good day — got any similar on Saint Jeremy de Bowen or Simpso the ‘liberator’?
I understand Jeremy B. used to like a Gill or ten, particularly during his 1st rotation in Lebanon when his Lebanese driver was killed (avoidably I believe).
This is OFF TOPIC
But HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all!!!
Let’s hope that next year you can give thanks for not having a TV license fee 🙂
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6172660.stm
“Last month, one US survey estimated that some 655,000 Iraqis might still be alive but for the US-led invasion of 2003.
The figures were vigorously disputed by supporters of the war in Iraq, including US President George W Bush, but there is backing for the methodology used among some statisticians.”
The figures were also disputed by some opponents of the war, but that would undermine the Beeb’s party line.
Of course, Dubya was cited as someone who disputed the figures, but the statisticians who provide “backing for the methodology used” remain anonymous.
All of this is written under the byline “Getting facts”.
“But HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all!!!
Let’s hope that next year you can give thanks for not having a TV license fee”
And a happy thanksgiving to your good self too.
you could do us a favour and lobby your local politicans to make it easier for us to migrate to the U.S. (should it all go pear shapped over here).
ever see the immigration requirements to get into the U.S.?
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/iv/index.html
no wonder you have a big illegal alien problem – its so darn hard to do it legally.
Omar Nasiri…
Basically, the guys a liar and a phantasist, see attached link (its in dutch) but you should be able to get the gist.
http://www.hln.be/hlns/cache/ det…art_304977.html
When he was supposed to be in Afghanistan in a training camp in 1995 he was actually in prison in Belgium.
“Omar Nasiri” is not his (the spy’s) real name. Newsnight stated that clearly.