Monthly Archives: March 2007

via Wat Tyler, who examines the Today programme’s coverage of ITVs current woes, this little gem from ex-Beeb business editor Jeff Randall.

In its coverage of the private-equity debate, Newsnight, BBC2’s main current-affairs programme, depicted those in the industry as stand-and-deliver Dick Turpins. When I asked the editor of another leading BBC news show about impartiality and the internal reaction to Newsnight’s approach, he said: “Nobody even mentioned it.”

Sounds par for the course. It’s not a conspiracy – it’s “unwitting and unconscious”.

Slightly late (my reporting it, not the review), Tory councillor Harry Phibbs reviews the BBC’s political drama Party Animals.

What is so pitiful about this is that I think there was a genuine effort to be fair politically but the script writers just can’t get it into their heads that Conservatives have come, through a process of honest and intelligent thought, to a different conclusion about the world to themselves.

Little Bulldogs looks at the BBC’s coverage of arrest figures under anti-terror legislation and the case of the wrong photograph. And via anonanon in the comments, this glowing review of Adam ‘Power of Nightmares’ Curtis’ new BBC offering ‘The Trap‘. The review’s at Socialist Worker, the organ of that party which is so prominent in the left-of-Labour political landscape yet so strangely invisible to BBC news reporters.

UPDATE – the midnight news is again (as noted in the comments) referring to ‘the Islamic prophet (or perhaps Prophet – it’s difficult to capitalise speech) Muhammad’ rather than the usual ‘the p/Prophet Muhammad’ we’ve come to expect. And the BBC religion page on Muhammad, reported by Andrew here, has been moved and I think altered. Has anybody got the original ? Is this a move towards equality of treatment in news and factual programmes for all religions and none ?

via commenter anonanon:

 

The BBC is advising MEPs on how to improve the “image” of the European elections, as part of a drive to make the next round of voting for the European Parliament more “viewer friendly”. Senior executives have held meetings with officials in Brussels who are seeking ways to draw more viewers into the “excitement” of the 2009 European Union-wide polls.

James Stephenson, the editor of the BBC’s election night programme, and Peter Knowles, the controller of BBC parliamentary coverage, took part in meetings in Brussels late last month to discuss which techniques from British election nights would help boost viewing of the EU elections, both in the build-up to voting and on the night of the Europe-wide results.

Their presence as consultants to the most federalist of the Brussels institutions will give ammunition to critics who claim the publicly-funded broadcaster has a pro-EU bias.

 

Scots blogger Mr Eugenides points out that the BBC also propose live coverage of the Treaty of Rome’s 50th anniversary celebrations – which is more than they managed for the late Queen Mother’s one hundredth anniversary. He’s quite sanguine about this, believing that “By the time Nana Mouskouri launches into her third encore, UKIP’s website will have crashed under the deluge of traffic, and sturdy yeomen will be erecting barricades along the beach at Dover.”

Also via Mr. E – is your website banned in China ? I’m pleased to say B-BBC is available to the citizens of the People’s Republic.

Robin Aitken, author of “Can We Trust the BBC ?” writes in last week’s Sunday Times.

Damien Thompson at the Telegraph blog notes the BBCs plugging of a report from the lefty think tank Demos.

Do you enjoy multiculturalist drivel? No? Tough luck. If you’ve paid your BBC licence fee, then you have subsidised free publicity for a report on “cultural diplomacy” by the Labour-friendly think tank Demos.

And finally – John Humphrys’ last Tony Blair interview on the Today programme (RealAudio) revealed his intriguing take on democracy, Iran-style. David Aaronovitch examines the entrails in the Times.

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Hate President Bush ? Got a new record out ? The Today Programme can meet all your UK publicity requirements – just ask Patti Smith.

Presenter (RealAudio) – “Ry Cooder, I’ve never heard of you, but our editor listened to ‘Bop Till You Drop’ a lot back in 1980. Would you like five minutes to abuse President Bush ?”

Cooder – “Why, thank you … I don’t know anyone who doesn’t hate George Bush … two stolen elections … America is a junk-food diner and Bush is the head waiter …”

Presenter – “Thank you very much”

The above may not be a verbatim transcript. But it ‘illustrates a wider truth’.

UPDATE – commenter anonanon offers up some more of Today’s Greatest Hits:

“Which historical figures make President Bush look good by comparison ? The Ceasars, Hitler, Stalin – that’s, anyway, according to the composer Randy Newman whose latest song ‘A Few Words in Defence of Our Country’ has just been released on iTunes. He spoke to our reporter Sanchia Berg …”

“That was a Burt Bacharach song. The king of easy listening music has joined the ranks of musicians queuing up to write anti-George Bush songs …”

“But what makes a great protest song ? One man who should know is the singer-songwriter John Prine. He wrote one of America’s best-known anti-Vietnam war songs. 35 years on he’s turned his attention to Iraq. Mark Coles caught up with him on his British tour …”