– several links about BBC coverage of terrorism and related issues.
Not exactly bias, but pretty funny. John Simpson today (18th) has an article about Afghanistan headlined “Resurgent Taleban. John Simpson asks if the war with the Taleban can be won.” (link.) If you do a
search for “resurgent taliban” on the bbc website, you’ll find a preview of Newsnight, 20th July 2006, in which John Simpson talks about a “resurgent taliban”.
(link)It’s John Simpson’s yearly resurge.
On 11 September 2001 armed people took control of four planes that were flying above the US.
Following the links to another page called Why did they do it?, here is the BBC explanation:
No-one can say exactly why the attacks were carried out.
But, the way America has got involved in conflicts in regions like the Middle East has made some people very angry, and the hijackers are likely to have been from this group.The US thinks a group called al-Qaeda is behind the attacks. Al-Qaeda leaders have in the past declared a holy war – called a Jihad – against the US. As part of this Jihad al-Qaeda members believe attacking US targets is something they should do.
When the attacks happened in 2001 there were a number of US troops in a country called Saudi Arabia, and al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden said he wanted them to leave.
On this day when the BBC informs the world it has to be just a little more impartial, they report on a story from Afghanistan where a suicide bomber murders 3 people as well as himself. So on that note what do you think the headline for said article should be?
Suicide bomber kills 3.
3 people killed in suicide bomb attack
Suicide bomber strikes Kabul.
Well that is how any impartial news agency would report such a story . So just how do the BBC report on the above in light of its quest to report impartially?
bijan:
What is it with the myanishen district?
Do places cease to exist if a man of limited abilities and overwhleming bias fails to spot the relevant information?
Biased BBC: Flat Earth? Pounce says so.
And still you’re here, Hilly!
Every post you make just elevates the standing of this blog. You are to be congratulated.
I, however, am far to busy scrolling to be bothered by any of your drivel. Keep making that mouse investment of mine more valued by continuing to give me scrolling practice.
I’m seriously considering entering the troll-scroll half-marathon thanks to your efforts.
Bijan Daneshmand,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijan_Daneshmand
ORLY? This blog is getting good. I bet MI5 even have a file on it.
THE LEGEND OF MYAN-I_SHEN
bijan:
What is it with the myanishen district?
Do places cease to exist if a man of limited abilities and overwhleming bias fails to spot the relevant information?
illhunt/pounce
I’ll try and clear this up … myanishen literally in farsi means myan-i-shen “between the sands” or “lost in the sands” …
it may well be a mythical place like Xanadu where Kublai Khan did his pleasure dome erect …(for more on this get a hold of a copy of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood Album) im sure one your boyfriends lend it to you …
… it could also be a shaggy dog story … a shaggy Afgan Dog story …
you know the one that starts with a drunk fat, ego-centric, washed up overpaid, BBC journalist …
maybe he is called “Simpson of the Sands” or known to his colleges at the BBC as John “I was in Jalalabad when the mortars were falling”
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2105122,00.html
or perhaps they refer to him as “Fat John the Kabul liberator”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,592751,00.html
in any case this John is back in Jalalabad yet again and he’s tired and he is lazy so he gets his stringer to go to the barbers shop to find out whats happening further down the road while he goes to the baazar to see if he can get his hands on some cheap antiquities … [deleted] a mistake … which if I may digress for a moment this journalist won’t make again …
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1695000/images/_1699708_fiskap150.jpg
… so while John gets soused his stringer goes to the barber shop .. where the locals decide to have some fun with a “Khar-e-Khareji” (Western idiot) and make up the story of the Taleban having taken over a non-existant district …. which the stringer then feeds back to Fat John who is too pissed to check his facts and files the story anyway … and then once it hits the internet … all of Fat Johns colleges in the MSM who dont know where Afganistan is start reapeating and embellishing the story of the lost district of myanishen … which when Fat John hears about on the grapevine … between chats with the the Chief editor on the ever rising prices of houses in central London … leads him to file this story ..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6756125.stm
which by the time it hits the BBC website no longer makes sense as the mytichal district is reported to have been recaptured …
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6766495.stm
Edited By Siteowner
bijan:
which by the time it hits the BBC website no longer makes sense as the mythical district is reported to have been recaptured …
And?
Ultraviolets:
Bijan Daneshmand,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Bij…ijan_Daneshmand
ORLY? This blog is getting good. I bet MI5 even have a file on it.
afraid its not me … its an assh*le 3rd rate film producer who … happens to support the Islamic Republic …. and with a bit of luck will get into a little jam with his Islamic pals back in Tehran if they come across this website in their never ending efforts to censor everything worth reading
http://stop.censoring.us/
which BTW ddoes not include the BBC Farsi site ..
… thereby safe guarding the Islamic Republic from its young who are fed up to their back teeth from being supressed
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1089172.ece
i have to use a SouDonyM otherwise I would end up being houndered by this unsavory lot …
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/iran/vevak/
check their sources & methods … and you will understand …
Bijan,
Nicely done. By the way, isn’t this in fact Reginald Bosanquet?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1695000/images/_1699708_fiskap150.jpg
Also, are there are any Star Trek:Next Generation viewers out there who remember the episode “Darmok”, in which the alien race speaks in metphorical references to historical actions rather than proper sentences? Concepts are communicated by referring to a specific action of an historical figure. A brief explanation can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darmok
In this spirit I suggest that one can now imply that someone is talking out of their ass by saying, “John, in Jalalabd when the mortars fell”.
That States of Failure map found here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6766877.stm
has obviously been created by Al-beeb using some of the figures from http://www.foreignpolicy.com and then been numbered according to their own design. There are similar, superior, maps (without numbering) to be found but nowhere else on the internet is there a map such as the one on Al-beeb.
It’s quite remarkable that they appear to have miraculously improved the state of Haiti (a failed state for decades now) so that it doesn’t interfere with the opportunity to number Iraq and Afghanistan 1 and 2 respectively.
Why let somewhere as insignificant as Haiti get in the way of propaganda when you work for Al-beeb!
PS. If Hilly has any worthwhile comments to make about this post could one of you please relay it to me, I refuse to srop scrolling past each and every one of his posts out of principle.
Bijan,
Nicely done. By the way, isn’t this in fact Reginald Bosanquet?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/ 16…8_fiskap150.jpg
No its Robert “Lion of the Arabs” Fisk
In this spirit I suggest that one can now imply that someone is talking out of their ass by saying, “John, in Jalalabd when the mortars fell”.
The exact quote by Alan Johnston is
[John] “when I was in Jalalabad with the mortars coming down … blah, blah, blah.” [Simpson] …
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2105122,00.html (scroll half way down)
Alan having been far too good to have reverted to that style of cheap journalism …
But you are a real live Iranian yes? Are you writing from Iran? If yes, then I’m fairly amazed you are here. This blog is getting good. Look out for John Boyd Hunt, he has information that could overturn British politics.
bijan:
i have to use a SouDonyM otherwise I would end up being houndered by this unsavory lot …
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/iran/vevak/
Or possibly by the numerous ex-girlfriends you were happy to call whores only the other day..
“All non-Jewish women are whores.” (Eben haezar 6,8.)
Having had numerous Iranian, Arab and European girlfriends I can personally attest the veracity of the quote
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/2302952105080211852/#360510
Look out for John Boyd Hunt, he has information that could overturn British politics
But be prepared to wait a little while for an outcome…
Ultra
But you are a real live Iranian yes?
I am a real live Iranian, who lives in exile …
Look out for Hillhunt as well, Bijan, the stuff he comes up with may make you think we in the West are all bloody morons (well, some actually are).
By the way, the selected! comments on the “Sir Salman: your thoughts” page you can find this “gem”:
“KHALED QUADERI, RHODE ISLAND, USA
I don’t understand what the uproar is all about. Of what value is a “knighthood” anyway?
It’s just another useless English institution.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6767013.stm
P.S.: At least Khaled made it to the country of the Great Satan. Sums up Al Beeb perfectly.
HiH
Did you already find this CBBC jem?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2520000/newsid_2529200/2529243.stm
Who are al-Qaeda?
Richard Reid – a British member of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda are a group of people who work together to plan acts like bombings. Because of this they are classed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government.
Members are followers of Islam but they have very extreme beliefs that are different from Muslims living in Britain.
Really? Then where these guys brought up?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/london_blasts/investigation/html/bombers.stm
and him
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4762209.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4354858.stm
and him
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4762123.stm
and these
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6756685.stm
and him
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6121084.stm
and him
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6765027.stm
and would these Blackburn girls views differ from those of Al Qaeda
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/koranandcountry/koran_and_country.shtml?select=04
Koran & Country Indeed
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/koranandcountry/pip/q8q01/
Broadcasting House is positively bubbling with the champers at the moment. Hillhunt my young scrumdinger, do you care to join us next Wednesday for the inauguration? Room 105, First Floor (the usual keycode)
KALIM SIDDIQUI: THE BBC FAVORITE WHO CREATED THE RUSHDIE “OUTRAGE”
I have never been a fan of Salman Rushdie. I once met the Head of the Met Force dedicated to protecting him and he told me that the men assigned to that task all looked upon its as punishment duty …
and now the “Sir” in Sir Salman has upset alot of Pakistanis and Iranians … or at least we are “reliably” informed by the BBC that this is the case …
Rushdie diplomatic row escalates
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6769671.stm
and no doubt the BBC is/will tell us what a disgusting and insensitive thing Tony Blair did to ask her Majesty to knight Salman
Sir Salman: our your thoughts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6767013.stm
but by chance I came accross the rascal that started this mess …. no not Khomieni (no it wasnt that dog who destroyed Iran)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4424118.stm
scroll down half way and you’ll find him …. a little UK based sh*t called Kalim Siddiqui … an erstwhile favorite of the BBC …
it was this maggot who put the idea of the fatwa to Khomieni
“While many Muslims felt anger and frustration, Kalim Siddiqui saw a political opportunity.
He and his associates in the Muslim Institute visited Iran in February 1989. On the day of their return, the Ayatollah issued a legal edict, or fatwa, saying Rushdie should be killed.
Dr Siddiqui now took on a leading role, publicly supporting the fatwa. With him at the helm, it was almost as if the Rushdie affair gave British Muslims their own ‘Islamic revolution’.
The Rushdie Affair, complete with its book-burnings on the streests, turned into a public relations disaster.
But for Dr Kalim Siddiqui, the fatwa against Rushdie was an essential vehicle for launching his political vision of a “Muslim Parliament” in 1992.”
this by the way is the modus operandi of international political Islam as we saw in a more recent outrage
Muslim anger at Danish cartoons
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4361260.stm
The sh*t and killing really started only after this …
Radical Danish imams visit the Middle East
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4694876.stm
before BBC Spins this story completely … look here to remind yourselves of the true details of each fabricated outrage
Danish Cartoons Background
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_cartoons
Satanic Verses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses
and Kalim Siddiqui? In April 1996 he ended up in a place where all you can only read 2 books the Quran and the Satanic Verses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell
hillhunt:
bijan:
which by the time it hits the BBC website no longer makes sense as the mythical district is reported to have been recaptured …
And?
hillhunt | 19.06.07 – 10:30 pm |
And? …. and that’s it mate … it doesn’t f*ckin exist … its what pounce has been trying to explain to you all along
Andrew Marx,( well known Socialist and close friend of Moazzim Begg) comes over all Bernard Manning
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/06/20/do2002.xml
NASTY STICH UP OF THE BRITISH ARMY
http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2666406.ece
See if you can find an equivalent story on what Iraqi, Syrian, Hamas, gunmen get upto written by this man … who allegedly was caught near the Afgan border playing with a young boy in a manner not taken to very kindly by the locals who left him with a token of their goodwill in the local pashtun custoum …
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1695000/images/_1699708_fiskap150.jpg
thats pashtunwali for you … specifically when the primary concept of Melmastia is trumped by the concept of Nang leading to Badal … allegedly …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtunwali
and now the “Sir” in Sir Salman has upset alot of Pakistanis and Iranians … or at least we are “reliably” informed by the BBC that this is the case …
I’d wait for other confirmation. Remember that the BBC proved that Bob Woolmer was murdered and, until the BBC states otherwise, that will remain so for many people, eh, HH!
Allan@Oslo,
It appears that there’s at least one serial outrager.
http://www.snappedshot.com/archives/964-Professional-Protester,-Jihadi-style.html
Sorry I missed the 10 questions for Jeremy Bowen who will be emailing his responses from the West Bank town of Ramallah. It was a great thread.
I would have dropped the first question, Where in Afganistan is Myanishen district? because Afghanistan is not normally considered part of the Middle East.
That leaves room for my question.
The Palestinians seem to have plenty of money for weapons and villas. Why should the West give them one more penny without supervision?
Sorry I missed the States of Failure discussion. Another great thread.
I can understand the amount of BBC coverage on Iraq and Afghanistan ~ British troops are there even if we don’t support them.
So why is there so little BBC coverage of:
3. Pakistan; 4. N Korea; 5. Bangladesh; 6. Burma; 7. Chad; 8. Sudan; 9. Guinea; 10. Ivory Coast; 11. Nigeria; 12. Central African Republic; 13. Ethiopia; 14. Somalia; 15. DR Congo; 16. Uganda; 17. Burundi; 18. Zimbabwe;?
Why is the US only stable but Canada most stable?
Why is Britain, France, Germany and most of the EU only stable but Ireland most stable?
What does the BBC know that they aren’t telling?
The Great Myanishen debate:
From Bijan:
And? …. and that’s it mate … it doesn’t f*ckin exist … its what pounce has been trying to explain to you all along
This, from Voice of America (note that the quoted source is its own staff):
Afghan Official Says Taleban Militants Captured Southern District
By VOA News
19 June 2007
An Afghan official says Taleban militants have captured a district in southern Kandahar province after several days of fierce fighting.
Kandahar’s provincial police chief, Esmatullah Alizai, Tuesday said the Taleban took control of Mian Neshin * district late Monday.
* = words originating in different tongues and alphabets often appear in different forms in English
Congratulations on a novel – if spectacularly dimwitted – tactic…
1. Read a story whose thrust you don’t like (because it suggests a minor success for the Taleban) on the BBC.
2. Decide the place it happens does not exist.
3. Conduct some clueless research on wikipedia to stand up your theory. (Even though Wikipedia actually contradicts said theory)
4. Announce the BBC are lying.
5. The news story must therefore be entirely wrong.
6. The BBC are therefore proven biased.
7. Hooray!
pounce & Bijan: Batman & Robin for the feeble-minded
DeeGee: The problem here is that the BBC hasn’t specified what is meant by “unstable” and “critical”. Reference to the website of the organisation that produced the map suggests it refers only to the likelihood of civil war.
No big surprise, then, that Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan are at the top of the list!
Burma doesn’t rate it since acts of genocide against poorly armed tribesmen doesn’t rate as civil war, and the fact that the people have no food makes it unlikely they will have the energy to start an uprising. South Africa doesn’t rate since chronic crime doesn’t necessarily organise itself into civil war.
BBC News: Not biased, just unbelievably STUPID.
Myanishen – a public service:
The Voice of America link should anyone need confirmation…
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-06-19-voa26.cfm
@HillHunt:
Any comments on the actuality that this Afghan “District” is in fact no more than a village, taken by the “Taleban” (a few blokes with shot-guns) while the local coppers were out to lunch?
No big surpise that it was re-taken the next day, when the police realised what had happened.
So much for the unstoppable force of a resurgent Taleban as reported by the BBC.
BBC News: Not biased, just UNBELIEVABLY STUPID!
Ryan:
Burma doesn’t rate it since acts of genocide against poorly armed tribesmen doesn’t rate as civil war, and the fact that the people have no food makes it unlikely they will have the energy to start an uprising. South Africa doesn’t rate since chronic crime doesn’t necessarily organise itself into civil war.
Why confuse instablity with moral failings?
If something’s unstable, it’s more likely to fall apart. Countries with nasty but strong military dictatorships (like Burma) tend not to fall apart easily. Ditto countries with high crime and stable governments like South Africa.
So what?
Ryan:
Any comments on the actuality that this Afghan “District” is in fact no more than a village, taken by the “Taleban” (a few blokes with shot-guns) while the local coppers were out to lunch?
Sorry, Ryan, I didn’t realise you were there and watching it happen.
If Myanishen is described as a district by the Afghans that’s good enough for me. I’d have thought it was good enough for B-BBCers, too, once the Voice of America confirmed the diagnosis…
It’s a strange war we’re fighting over there, that there cannot be any reverses, and if they are, they must either be written out (pounce’s version) or turned into a Keystone Cops episode (yours).
Only an idiot would imagine a war fought in difficult territory against a highly-motivated guerrilla army (however repugnant) would go absolutely perfectly to plan.
What moral blindness demands that the BBC see it that way?
Biased BBC: Truth. Is what we say it is (Part 94)
.
Is hillhunt one of the seven million unemployable people in this country?
Anonymous:
Is hillhunt one of the seven million unemployable people in this country?
No.
But thanks for the concern.
@HillHunt: “If Myanishen is described as a district by the Afghans that’s good enough for me”
Doesn’t surprise me at all, mate. Birds of a feather… Stupid BBC journalism appeals to a stupid audience.
Thanks for the link to this legendary “district” which pointed out it has a population of 13,400 people. It indicated that the so-called “Resurgent Taleban” that John Simpson was reporting consisted of a handful of desparadoes with pea-shooters. So the truth came out, thanks to the internet. I had wondered why my colleagues in Germany are always complaining that BBC News bears no relation to TV news in Germany and now I know why. They make it all up. Well it is so much more exciting, isn’t it?
I can relax in the knowledge that NATO will indeed prevail in Afghanistan and the BBC get a bit over-excited at times. Dimwits.
Ryan,
Any comments on the actuality that this Afghan “District” is in fact no more than a village…
It looks like it’s a village and a district by the same name. The district headquarters reside in the village. It seems (looking at the reports from 2005) that taking over the headquarters and/or the village is considered taking control of the district, but I could be wrong.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411366/593554/
Kandahar’s deputy police chief, General Salim Khan, who spoke by satellite telephone from the scene of the fighting about 16 km north of the town of Mian Nishin, said more than 60 Taliban guerrillas had been killed and 30 captured.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062202102_pf.html
On Tuesday morning, a company of U.S. troops and several hundred Afghan policemen began a sweep to investigate reports that Taliban fighters had been seen in the area around Sheykhan and had overrun the district government building in nearby Mian Nishin last Friday, killing or abducting members of the local police force.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1397518.htm
Last week, the guerrillas seized Mian Nishin, capital of the district of the same name in Kandahar province, capturing 30 police officers and a district chief.
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:cahWMGHq-_IJ:www.opendemocracy.net/articles/ViewPopUpArticle.jsp%3Fid%3D2%26articleId%3D2622+%22mian+nishin%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=18&client=opera
The town of Mian Nishin, a district headquarters in Kandahar province, has been at the centre of this conflict.
BBC’s way of supporting the troops (of Al Qaida).
http://timblair.net/ee/index.php/weblog/bbc_beyond_belief/
Ryan:
@HillHunt: “If Myanishen is described as a district by the Afghans that’s good enough for me”
Doesn’t surprise me at all, mate. Birds of a feather… Stupid BBC journalism appeals to a stupid audience.
Either the nation of Afghanistan – for which your countrymen and mine are fighting – is entitled to decide what is a district or it’s not.
And the Voice of America? What does the official external broadcasting service of the United States say about Taleban resurgence?
This, datelined VOA News 13 June 2007….
About 50,000 U.S. and NATO troops are working with Afghan forces to put down a resurgent Taleban movement. Their efforts have been marred recently by civilian casualties.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-06-13-voa45.cfm
But Ryan prefers this:
I had wondered why my colleagues in Germany are always complaining that BBC News bears no relation to TV news in Germany and now I know why. They make it all up.
Ryan, denial is not a good place to be.
Let it go.
Max, great link to the Tim Blair article. For those not wishing to follow the link, here it is:
———————————–
How is the BBC’s attempt to overcome its stupid liberalism going? Not so well:
‘Politicians reacted in disbelief to the revelation that for over two hours yesterday, the BBC News website carried a request for people in Iraq to report on troop movements.
The request was removed from the website after it sparked furious protests that the corporation was endangering the lives of British servicemen and women.
According to accounts last night, a story on a major operation by US and Iraqi troops against al-Qa’eda somewhere north of Baghdad contained an extraordinary request for information about the movement of troops.’
Last night the BBC confirmed the wording of the request was: “Are you in Iraq? Have you seen any troop movements? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC, you can do so using the form below.”
The article continues: “A spokesman was unable to offer a detailed explanation of why anyone at the BBC should be seeking such information.” I can think of a few reasons.
————————————-
One of the posts below the article states:
“Better that many British soldiers die than one immigrant be “offended”.”
Couldn’t agree more. Care to comment, Beeboids?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/20/nbbc220.xml
The blunder sparked a flood of protests from army insiders and servicemen’s relatives, posted on the Army Rumour Service website (www.arrse.co.uk). One woman, who described herself as an “Army wife”, said she was “shocked and dismayed” that the BBC was asking people “to report our troop movements on an open forum which could be read by insurgent forces and/or their allies”.
The BBC insisted last night that the information would not have been published, saying “this was not a blog”. [you don’t say!]
But the woman went on: “Surely if you want reporting done, you have staff who are able to do that for you. Otherwise why do we pay over £100 in licence fees?”
Good points there.
Clarification and information.
Mian Nishin (or the many variants thereof) is little more than a village with a little over 10,000 in the whole ‘district’, still less in the village itself.
Reports of its significance have been grossly exaggerated, presumably to suit the agenda of those so reporting or laziness by those relying on others reports employing a sort of journalists chinese whispers.
However the place does actually exist.
The main district of the area is Shah Wali Kot.
Shah Wali Kot is itself a small district of the larger province of Kandahar.
Kandahar is one of the many provinces of Afghanistan.
The occupation of the district of Myan Nishin constituted little more than a presence in the village of Myan Nishin.
The village has already been recaptured.
Fatalities from the so called large battle consist of less than three dozen.
Heron, I liked this one better:
“Are you in the West Bank or Gaza? Do you have any information you would like to share about Mossad agents posing as BBC journalists?”
Do clarify etc:
Reports of its significance have been grossly exaggerated, presumably to suit the agenda of those so reporting or laziness by those relying on others reports employing a sort of journalists chinese whispers.
Does that agenda extend, then, to the official external broadcasting service of the USA, which also reported the Mian Nishin incident, and also used the phrase “resurgent Taleban.”
Journalistic consensus between the BBC and the Voice of America suggests the following:
1. That the BBC is not following some radical Taleban-friendly agenda.
2. That the basic facts appear to be agreed.
3. That, if the BBC is in some way wrong the USA’s primary overseas voice seems to have fallen into the same trap (as do the world’s premier news agencies, among them Reuters and AFP).
4. That this is all a classic case of Biased BBC firing from the hip and calling it badly from the start….
‘Are you in Iraq, Afghanistan or Gaza? Have you seen any movements by BBC staff ? If you have any information you would like to share with would be kidnappers or killers, you can do so by using the form below.’
Not on is it?
Hillhunt, care to repudiate this on behalf of your organisation.
Quote of the day:
“The BBC is not biased.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6221606.stm
Do Clarify:
Not on is it?
Hillhunt, care to repudiate this on behalf of your organisation.
Not my orgainsation, so that’s a tough one. I did suggest this earlier, if it helps…
£500 says some junior sub-editor applied the standard dumb-ass citizen-journalist paragraph to the wrong story.
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/4068507505364292634/#361186
I caused ructions some days ago for suggesting that the whole HYS apparatus was a sop to the notion of audience participation.
I feel the same way about those “Did You See…” requests, which are a sop to the equally overblown notion of citizen journalism.
But I don’t expect the BBC will care very much about my opinion on taht, either…
Hillhunt: Not the BBC. And it sometimes shows.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6221606.stm
Q: In your opinion do you think the approach the West has taken to the only elected government in the Arab world (Hamas – no matter how extremist) was the right approach?
RezaKF, London
A: First of all, Hamas did not form the only elected government in the Arab world. Iraq and Lebanon have elected governments.
And the administration put together by Hamas after its victory in elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 was not a government, because the Palestinians do not have a state.”
http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=%22palestinian+government%22+site:news.bbc.co.uk&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
max | 20.06.07 – 1:04 pm
There’s also this:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&q=%22palestinian+president%22+site%3Anews.bbc.co.uk&btnG=Search
The BBC, its love for the Taliban and half as tory.
UK ‘in Afghanistan for decades’
The UK presence in Afghanistan will need to go on for decades to help rebuild the country, British ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles has said. “The task of standing up a government of Afghanistan that is sustainable is going to take a very long time,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He added that the Afghan people wanted the UK presence to help resist the Taleban and develop the country. Extra diplomatic staff are being deployed to Afghanistan this year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6220856.stm
And here is how the Guardian reports on that very same report to BBC Radio 4
Afghan home rule ‘could take years’
It could take “decades” to establish an effective government in Afghanistan, the UK’s new ambassador in Kabul has admitted.
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said that the effort to stabilise and rebuild the war-torn country was a “marathon rather than a sprint”.
He also accepted that Britain should have stepped up its diplomatic and development commitment in Afghanistan earlier.”The task of standing up a government of Afghanistan that is sustainable is going to take a very long time,” Sir Sherard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.”It’s a marathon rather than a sprint. We should be thinking in terms of decades.”He insisted: “We’re not (talking) about a long-term military presence but we’re serious about a long-term development presence, because this country does matter to us and to the region in so many ways.”
…………
“Maybe we should have raised our game earlier, but now we have,” Sir Sherard said. He insisted that although the Nato forces had been responsible for some civilian casualties, most Afghans “want us here”.”Their worry is not about us staying. It’s about us going,” he added.“The great thing about the Taliban is that they haven’t been reading their Chairman Mao. They don’t have popular support.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6722872,00.html
Notice how the BBC fudges what Sir Sherard says. Just a little tweak here and there and the main message is lost.
The BBC (on a daily basis) paints a picture of British troops being hated, that the Taliban are loved and that all our troops are going to die. You only have to look at how the BBC is campaigning (Subliminally) on removing the NATO air weapon from the inventory so that their Taliban masters can have just that extra advantage on the ground. Don’t believe me. Next time there is an air strike. Just look at how quick the BBC is in reporting how many children have been killed.
The BBC, its love for the Taliban and half as tory.
UK ‘in Afghanistan for decades’
The UK presence in Afghanistan will need to go on for decades to help rebuild the country, British ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles has said. “The task of standing up a government of Afghanistan that is sustainable is going to take a very long time,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He added that the Afghan people wanted the UK presence to help resist the Taleban and develop the country. Extra diplomatic staff are being deployed to Afghanistan this year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6220856.stm
And here is how the Guardian reports on that very same report to BBC Radio 4
Afghan home rule ‘could take years’
It could take “decades” to establish an effective government in Afghanistan, the UK’s new ambassador in Kabul has admitted.
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said that the effort to stabilise and rebuild the war-torn country was a “marathon rather than a sprint”.
He also accepted that Britain should have stepped up its diplomatic and development commitment in Afghanistan earlier.”The task of standing up a government of Afghanistan that is sustainable is going to take a very long time,” Sir Sherard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.”It’s a marathon rather than a sprint. We should be thinking in terms of decades.”He insisted: “We’re not (talking) about a long-term military presence but we’re serious about a long-term development presence, because this country does matter to us and to the region in so many ways.”
…………
“Maybe we should have raised our game earlier, but now we have,” Sir Sherard said. He insisted that although the Nato forces had been responsible for some civilian casualties, most Afghans “want us here”.”Their worry is not about us staying. It’s about us going,” he added.“The great thing about the Taliban is that they haven’t been reading their Chairman Mao. They don’t have popular support.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6722872,00.html
Notice how the BBC fudges what Sir Sherard says. Just a little tweak here and there and the main message is lost.
The BBC (on a daily basis) paints a picture of British troops being hated, that the Taliban are loved and that all our troops are going to die. You only have to look at how the BBC is campaigning (Subliminally) on removing the NATO air weapon from the inventory so that their Taliban masters can have just that extra advantage on the ground. Don’t believe me. Next time there is an air strike. Just look at how quick the BBC is in reporting how many children have been killed.
max | 20.06.07 – 12:58 pm:
Quote of the day:
“The BBC is not biased.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6221606.stm
Max that was a real corker • but you sold us short. So here’s the complete laugh-out-loud statement for all B-BBCers to enjoy:
The BBC is not biased. We take an impartial approach to news coverage, and try very hard to get to the truth. That sometimes means that people with a strong attachment to a particular point of view don’t like our coverage.
I assume that you are referring to our policy of not using the word terrorists, unless we are quoting someone who is using the word. Our policy is to avoid words that are politically loaded, the use of which can be a barrier to understanding. Most Palestinians regard violence directed against Israel as legitimate resistance. Most Israelis regard it as terrorism.
If the BBC backed either definition we would no longer be impartial.
Apart from the obscenity of choosing a halfway point between, on one hand, suicide bombers who murder civilians, and, on the other, Israeli soldiers who seek to neuter the murderers, the BBC’s claim that it tries “very hard to get to the truth” happens to be positively disproved in the case of the BBC’s reporting of the “political controversy that helped bring down the last Conservative government.”
To anyone who’s interested, you’ll find the absolute, unarguable, unsurpassable proof of the bogusness of this particular BBC claim here. (Note the text highlighted yellow plus the BBC’s stonewalling responses).