Please use this thread for BBC-related comments and analysis. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not (and never has been) an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or use as a chat forum. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts.
A book for BBCers’ Christmas stockings?
Jacobo Machover “The Hidden Face of Che”.
A ROMANTIC hero to legions of fans the world over, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the poster boy of Marxist revolution, has come under assault as a cold-hearted monster four decades after his death in the Bolivian jungle.
A revisionist biography has highlighted Guevara’s involvement in countless executions of “traitors” and counter-revolutionary “worms”, offering a fresh glimpse of the dark side of the celebrated guerrilla fighter who helped Fidel Castro to seize power in Cuba.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2461399.ece
(The other day I heard a BBC person tell us that in 1958 the Cubans had overthrown THE dictator.)
A revisionist biography has highlighted Guevara’s involvement in countless executions of “traitors” and counter-revolutionary “worms”, offering a fresh glimpse of the dark side of the celebrated guerrilla fighter who helped Fidel Castro to seize power in Cuba.
Delete “revisionist”, insert ‘a more truthful’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/guevara_che.shtml
The BBC version – no mention of the murders he committed and admitted to. Bit like Mandela this chap….
The wiki version (doubtless to be ‘amended’ by a BBC oik shortly!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara
“It is estimated that between 156 and 550 people were executed on Guevara’s extra-judicial orders during this time.[31]”
BBC – “Truth? What is truth? Truth is for the little peeples not us”
Of possible interest to the moderators:
The BBC has just noticed the the Northwest pasasage is open –
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6995999.stm
First paragraph:
“The most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia is fully clear of ice for the first time since records began, the European Space Agency (Esa) says.”
Further in, we find this means :
“It says this made the passage “fully navigable” for the first time since monitoring began in 1978.”
Somehow, “in the last 30 years” sounds rather less impressive than “since records began”.
Of course, if the Beeb had checked beyond the Greenpeace press release they were copy-typing, they might have found that, since Roald Amundsen in 1906, the Passage was traversed in 1940, 1944, 1957, 1969, 1977, …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_west_passage
And as Freeborn John points out :
http://freebornjohn.blogspot.com/2007/09/compare-and-contrast.html
the Beeb could have just checked their own website, which has an article about a police patrol boat making the passage in September 2000.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/918448.stm
But of course, the BBC doesn’t have a line on global warming, no, really …
I can assure you as a member of BBC staff with a Northern Rock mortgage I’m not praying for the end of capitalism of trying to “fan the flames”.
David Gregory (BBC) | 16.09.07 – 11:02 am
Maybe DG is not praying for the end of capitalism but there was a peculiar bit of evidence that the subject does preoccupy BBC minds. John Humphrys tasting nettle pudding on Friday’s Today for an oddball item about prehistoric cookery, suddenly announced “Someone just said in my ear this is what we’re all going to be eating when the capitalist system collapses”. This it seems is what passes for banter down in the Today studio. It was also evidence that Humphrys ‘forensic’ questioning could well be fed down his earpiece.
I can assure you as a member of BBC staff with a Northern Rock mortgage I’m not praying for the end of capitalism of trying to “fan the flames”.
David Gregory (BBC) | 16.09.07 – 11:02 am
Perhaps whilst not actually praying for the end of capitalism, you might well benefit from the collapse of this bank as then your mortgage would be written off?
Just a thought…
No Firefoxx, the outstanding mortgage, under its existing agreed terms, would become the property of anyone who purchases NR or of an official receiver who would sell it on in the best interests of NR’s creditors and shareholders. It’s helpful to engage brain before engaging the BBC! 🙂
To be fair to the Beeb and David G, there is nothing the media likes better than a crisis, they can get a bit carried away. On the whole, despite a few early glitches, I think their reporting has been pretty reasonable.
According to the BBC, the following is one of the “not so good” things about the 1950s.
“10. Sexual expression was frowned upon and even criminalised. Homosexuality and abortion were banned throughout the decade and unplanned pregnancies stigmatised families.”
Er, well, says you, BBC. Says you.
Freddy.
Although I do have some sympathy with the your point about how the article was worded – ie. ‘Since records began’ versus ‘in 30 years’, there is nothing to say that the ice wasn’t there 30 years ago – and your further points about the number of times ships have went through, while true I can’t help but note you didn’t give the context (ie. Amundsen’s voyage took three years with an ice breaking vessel).
If you chose to make points about the context something was written in, don’t make the same mistakes yourself.
There’s no doubt that the ice caps are melting, that is indisputable, but the real story is whether the human race is causing it or if it’s simply coincidental climate change (ie. we are technologically advanced enough to notice it).
Freddy,
I think it is also doubtful that the ice pack in the Canadian artic has only been monitored since the late 1970s.
ShugNiggurath:
Freddy.
Although I do have some sympathy with the your point about how the article was worded – ie. ‘Since records began’ versus ‘in 30 years’, there is nothing to say that the ice wasn’t there 30 years ago – and your further points about the number of times ships have went through, while true I can’t help but note you didn’t give the context (ie. Amundsen’s voyage took three years with an ice breaking vessel).
If you chose to make points about the context something was written in, don’t make the same mistakes yourself.
There’s no doubt that the ice caps are melting, that is indisputable, but the real story is whether the human race is causing it or if it’s simply coincidental climate change (ie. we are technologically advanced enough to notice it).
ShugNiggurath | 16.09.07 – 8:48 pm | #
Whilst the first crossing of the Northwest Passage in a single season was not achieved until 1944, your description of Amundsen taking 3 years to traverse said passage is very misleading. Amundsen deliberately spent two winters moored up whilst locating the position of the Magnetic North Pole and living with the native Eskimo people, learning as much from them as possible which undoubtedly assisted him in his successful attempt on the South Pole in 1911.
Child dies after 4×4 river crash
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/6998001.stm
Can anyone please tell me how the vehicle being a 4×4 has any bearing on this story? A Land Rover crashed from a bridge and a child was tragically killed. Would the story have been “Child dies after front wheel drive river crash” if it was not a Land Rover?
The BBC, using the tragic death of a child to have a go at their pet dislikes. Appalling.
http://www.climate-skeptic.com/2007/09/antarctic-sea-i.html
“It is almost impossible to avoid stories about Arctic sea at the lowest recorded level. The National Geographic, who should know better, had the temerity to headline “Arctic Ice at All-Time Low”. All-time? Really? In the 6 billion year history of the earth, this is the least ice ever in the Arctic? Well, no, it’s the least since we have started measuring it. So when was that? Only since about 1979 when we had sattelites that could make this measurement. OK, so its the least ice in about 25-30 years.”
On the other hand…
“the Antarctic sea ice area reached 16.2 million squared kilometers in 2007 – a new absolute record high since the measurements started in 1979”
Any chance of that BBC science chap who occasionally comments here doing a piece on this “good” news about the climate?
I came to this site to note my frustration at a BBC article on the 1950’s. I find a Mr Calwell has already picked up on the most overtly biased point. So I’ll only say I sent a long complaint also attacking that dinner party drama they put on BBC1 recently, and I’ll give the link to this 1950’s article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6994637.stm
Sorry about the double post and I guess it’s been mentioned before, but can I just say that I will probably do something violent if they say “David Cameron is having a bad year” one more time. Last weekend they sent a TV crew to a speech Cameron was making, and only showed the bits where he defended himself from a few criticisms of his leadership. I still don’t know what he was speaking about.
Re:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6994637.stm
Not so great things? Abortion banned?
Hmm, Beeboid worldview shows through again.
I read on the BBC’s web site at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6995999.stm that “The most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia is fully clear of ice for the first time since records began, the European Space Agency (Esa) says.” I was seriously scared until I read further down the article that records didn’t begin in 1878 or even 1928 but in 1978. This is typical BBC, a scaremongering headline about “Climate Change” with a few paragraphs of detail to fuel the scare and then put the qualifier where most people wont bother reading as far as. The BBC may have had to cancel their Planet Relief day but that doesn’t mean that they wont keep ramming this sort of cr*p down our collective throats as often as possible.
I had to laugh at the very first point on the list:
“1. Post-war austerity was characterised by outside lavatories, central heating was rare AND MANY HOUSES WERE WITHOUT TELEVISIONS…”
“How far do you think Ming Campbell’s stance on Iraq has caused his demise in the opinion polls?”
Of course the Today team have not asked this question, but it is interesting that they have not and will not. Not because there is a link, indeed probably not, but rather because this type of question is asked endlessly by Naughtie-types of those who supported the removal of Saddam Hussein, in relation to virtually any other matter that is being discussed.
The BBC has been reporting the Northern Rock crisis but it seems to me playing it down (as you would being the Government spokesman!!).
Note today in reporting the deposits taken they try to play it down stating: “withdrawals have not been as much as the Bank of England predicted”.
So that’s all right then….
Also in making out that the pubic are mad to take their funds out.
If the bank fails, only the first £30k of deposits are guaranteed to 100%. The public has every right to take their funds out.
The crash has begun, not that the BBC will report it for some time, with their cosy relationship with Brown and Old Labour
Don’t know how many of you saw Andrew Marr’s (“Red Andy” as he was know at Uni) programme on Sunday.
In an interview with Ming, Ming stated that “some people have done too well in this country. In particular I am speaking of City bonuses”.
What a disgraceful, anti-British thing to have been said.
Obvioulsy there is now no reference to this statement on the BBC because it is just in tune with their mindset.
Where else in the world would we claim that people had done too well for themselves???? Why can’t the British be proud of success???
It is my hatred of this mindset and the BBC, which led to me leaving Britain for Switzerland.
The real part that’s biased in the articule about the northwest passage is the blatent cherry picking of the information. If you check out the NSIDC website: http://nsidc.org/news/press/2007_seaiceminimum/20070810_index.html
you will find that they say there has been exceptional weather in the Arctic this year with high pressure over the Arctic and a low over Siberia causing warm winds from the South plus little cloud causing more than usual melt, coupled with offshore winds blowing the ice away from the shore.
I would also take issue with the earlier comment about the ice Caps melting that should read ice Cap as the Antarctic sea ice has extended this year, and the southern hemisphere are having a much colder winter than of late.
Apart from that if the Northwest Passage was open wouldn’t that be a good thing! It would save ships sailing an extra 5000 odd miles. Why is it that only the bad things about warming that get reported.
Did anyone see yesterday’s ‘The Big Questions’?
The discussion was ‘Does God have a sense of humour?’
The parting shot, and final comment of the programme, was an e-mail which the presenter said she “particularly liked”-
‘Of course God has a sense of humour- He gave us George W.Bush didn’t he?’
Hilarious, BBC . Very funny.
Just proves the point about the mindset of employees of the BBC.
Or as pounce would say,
“The BBC and its hatred of America.”
Firefoxx: Somehow I don’t think I’m going to get a free mortgage out of all this. Still fingers crossed eh?
I’ve made a formal complaint and blogged it here.
http://powercut.blogspot.com/2007/09/asinine-imposition.html
Was quietly watching the BBC news last night whilst Peter Preston described the ongoing problems at Northern Rock. Imagine my total lack of surprise when Mr Preston finalsied his comments by saying something along the lines of “Well some have been blaming Labour for an economy based on credit, but of course it was the Tories that changed the rules on mortgage financing that led to these problems”. Oh really. So despite not being in power for 10 years it is all the Tories fault. It’s astonishing that a party could have such power ten years after leaving office. What a truly extraordinary political party it is. Furthermore it seems after 10 years the Labour party is totally ineffectual in the face of such power.
As I recall the Tories deregulated the mortgage market some 20-25 years ago in a move broadly welcomed at the time since it made it easier for ordinary working people to buy their own homes. Mr Preston didn’t give us any details of course, so you wouldn’t know that.
The BBCs cheeleading for Labour seems to be getting ever more desparate and ever more obvious in the last few months. Perhaps they have realised that if the Tories get into power the Beeb will be sold off to raise the money to bail out Northern Rock…
Sorry, in my last post it should have been Robert Preston, not Peter Preston.
Ryan Stephenson | 17.09.07 – 11:37 am
Sorry, in my last post it should have been Robert Preston, not Peter Preston
Peston, even?
Article in the Guardian with Jeff Randall telling more about bias at the BBC….
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2170494,00.html
“I think there’s a streak of hypocrisy at the BBC. I said it when I was there: its definition of impartiality or the middle ground is not how many of us see it. That’s why I’m contemptuous.
“There is a liberal consensus. The BBC denies this but Andy Marr – who most people think is part of that liberal consensus – came out and said it. So it’s not just right-of centre people. When you’re there, you can feel it, you can smell it, you can almost touch it.”
BBC and the M word…..
Student guilty of terror offences
Last Updated: Monday, 17 September 2007, 11:43 GMT 12:43 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6997830.stm
“A student has been found guilty of three terrorism offences at the High Court in Glasgow”
Pesky ‘students’. Anyway this guy is an islamic fanatsist, it has NOTHING to do with the fact that he is a student. That’s what the WHOLE CASE was about. Why doesn’t the BBC tell us so? Beacuse they provide biased, censored news.
Heres’ Sky’s unbiased version:
Briton Guilty Of Terror Offences
Updated: 12:37, Monday September 17, 2007
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1284446,00.html
“A British-born Muslim student has been found guilty of a series of Islamist terrorism offences.”
There, that was easy wasn’t it?
And don’t let any beeboid tell you the BBC version is a ‘first draft’. The facts were known, Sky’s accurate uncensored version was posted before the Beebs.
So, remind me again, why do we have to pay for the BBC?
More from the Jeff Randall piece
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2170494,00.html
So what does the BBC, which recently scrapped a planned climate change special and claims to have no political opinions, believe in? Randall offers up three examples: that increased state spending is generally good; that there is little or no difference between being anti-immigration and being a racist; and that the death penalty is “appalling”.
He goes over to his files to find a print-out of an email he received from a “very senior BBC person” while he was an employee there. Carefully obscuring the name of the sender, he shows it to me: “The BBC internally is not neutral about multiculturalism. It believes in it and promotes diversity, let’s face up to that.”
Randall says: “I’m amazed he put that down. What happened next was the BBC ran into a horrible brick wall when Trevor Phillips, the Chief Rabbi and then George Alagiah, its own British-Asian reporter, came out and said actually this headlong dash for multiculturalism is creating a divided society.
“But there are a lot of people out there who are not mad, who are not bad – decent people who think that the death penalty should be brought back, are deeply worried about immigration and think that the money that’s been poured into health and education over the last 10 years has largely been wasted. They are all reasonable positions but inside the BBC they would all be seen as way out there.”
John Reith:
Ryan Stephenson | 17.09.07 – 11:37 am
Sorry, in my last post it should have been Robert Preston, not Peter Preston
Peston, even?
John Reith | 17.09.07 – 11:45 am | #
Peston indeed – did anyone mention his dad is a labour peer?
Foxgoose
did anyone mention his dad is a labour peer?
….the iniquities of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons unto …..etc……..
Robert Peston’s own form:
2002-2005 City Editor and Assistant Editor of The Sunday Telegraph
2000 to 2002 Editorial Director of Quest, an online service for investors.
1999 to 2000: Financial Editor of the Financial Times
1995 to 1999: Political editor, Financial Times
1993-1995: Head of special reports department, Financial Times.
1991-1993: Banking Editor, Financial Times
1990-1991: City Editor, Independent on Sunday
Doesn’t sound like an enemy of capitalism to me.
But the example quoted above is no good. It’s probably an institutional attitude that creeps into even the fairer minded journalists there.
I thought his biography of Brown was quite sound.
“Women’s World Cup
England v Argentina: Online now
The boys took a beating this weekend so it’s up to England’s sportswomen to restore some pride. Can the girls make the last eight? Find out by watching online.”
I seem to remember the England (men’s) FOOTBALL team doing quite well last week.
JR
Peston must have been very uncomfortable at the Telegraph. The FT, although the City’s rag, has an editorial line indistinguishable from the Guardian and the Independent is not exactly a flag-carrier for capitalism. Peston must be thanking God – or perhaps one of God’s prophets – that he has returned to his intellectual home.
Umbongo | 17.09.07 – 2:34 pm |
{The Financial Times}is not exactly a flag-carrier for capitalism.
I dread to think of what you make of its Pearson stablemate, the Economist.
JR – Peston lost much credibility with his breathless uncritical reporting of the Stern report on climate change. He sounded like a Labour minister.
bodo | 17.09.07 – 3:09 pm
But wasn’t the gist of the Stern report that we can save the planet and make profits too?
Peston’s got the most irritating delivery on television, puts all the emphases in the wrong places.
JR – Peston said that the Stern report had ‘ended the debate’ on climate change – echoing the govt spin.
The solution, according to Stern, was that we should all pay more taxes ‘for our own good’.
Who’da thunk it – a report on climate change [commissioned by the chancellor – for some reason] recommends more taxes! And the BBC cheers!
bodo | 17.09.07 – 3:28 pm
the BBC cheers!
I don’t think so. (Not if the number of big-engined 4X4’s in the car park’s anything to go by.)
In what sense was Peston’s report on Stern anything but studiedly neutral?
Just look what the ‘moderate’ Muslim blogsite Ummahpulse is saying about the ‘Neocon’ BBC. It goes without saying that the Jews are the top villains – including a lengthy diatribe against the 12th century Jewish thinker, Maimondides, of all people, who they seem to have decided is an honorary neocon! but there again nearly everyone is a ‘Neocon’ in this raving analysis.
Is the BBC Trust Dominated by Neocons?
http://ummahpulse.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=204&Itemid=1
[Deleted. The Moderator]
Hope this is not out of place here, its a worthy causeand I’m not making any money on it..and I think many Britsd will support it.
Help our Troops, lets Honour the Covenent, Poor equipment, Pay, Low Morale…being sent to war in thin skinned Landrovers
when better armoured vehicles are available.Hundreds have died through this appaling situation.
http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/index.cfm?asset_id=516704
There are 60 Million People in this country that in order for this campaign to grow, this link must be Passed on
60 Million times.Pretty Impossible huh…
NO not at all..
If instead of Passing it on to one of your Mates, you pass it in to two and ask them to do the same a rather miraculous thing happens.
If 1 Person emails the link to Two, asking them in turn to do the same, thats 4 People involved, if they in turn do the same thats 8 People Involved, if they in turn do the same thats 16…….etc etc…
Here are the Numbers….1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1024 2048 4096….etc ect…the result being that in Only 30 steps you can help get this Important mesage to 30 Million British People…..all you have to do is sign the Petition asking the Govt to Give our troops better conditions and equipment them Pass the link to Two (or more) close friends, collegues of family members,
Making Sure you ask them to do the same…
Lets snowball this worthy cause…
Here’s that link again..Thanks..
http://www.britishlegion.org
including a lengthy diatribe against the 12th century Jewish thinker, Maimondides, of all people
Or Maimonides even.
@John Reith:-
“Robert Peston’s own form:
2002-2005 City Editor and Assistant Editor of The Sunday Telegraph
2000 to 2002 Editorial Director of Quest, an online service for investors.
1999 to 2000: Financial Editor of the Financial Times
1995 to 1999: Political editor, Financial Times
1993-1995: Head of special reports department, Financial Times.
1991-1993: Banking Editor, Financial Times
1990-1991: City Editor, Independent on Sunday
Doesn’t sound like an enemy of capitalism to me.”
Been a bit choosy in our list, haven’t we?
1986-1991 – worked at The Independent
2001 -took up employment at the New Statesman.
Seems he has batted for both sides, so you are guilty of misleading the public yet again (old habits die hard eh?).
Although quite what being pro-capitalist has to do with not hating the Tories I am not sure. Very NuLabour I would have thought – loving business and hating Tories. So now we know exactly where Mr Peston sits in the political spectrum of the Left – right about where Mr Brown sits I would say.
Euan the nice Economics Editor who presents Dragons’ Den was saying at lunchtime blah blah PRE GORDON BROWN blah blah. Last ten years etc
Huh? I nearly fell out of my bathchair and hit my batman!
Err hello!? Who has been the sticky fingered thieving swine at No 11 for the last ten years who has caused most of these problems? Are the BBC pushing a ‘blame the Tories for the problems’ line? If so may I please blame the Labour Government after the war for the decline of British society? May I blame Harold Wilson for allowing the unions to run rampant and ruin investment in industry int his country? Just how far back are the Beeb going to find someone other than their new best mate Gordon Brown to blame for all the problems that are coming home to roost?
Ryan Stephenson | 17.09.07 – 4:29 pm
1986-1991 – worked at The Independent
Perhaps you’re too young to remember the leader line at the Indy during those years.
It wasn’t a left-wing paper then.
2001 -took up employment at the New Statesman.
I’d be very surprised if he did – not least because he was a contributing editor of the Spectator around that time. Perhaps he just wrote a few articles for the Statesman – as Michael Portillo has done.
Seems he has batted for both sides
Shouldn’t have too much trouble being impartial then, should he?