Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may be moderated.
A result of sorts, finally a response to the complaint I lodged on the 16 January.
The complaint:
Your coverage over the last few days of Israeli incursions into Gaza have completely lacked context and balance, but this latest report really takes the biscuit!
Your report says:
“Hamas’s armed wing claimed responsibility for a heavy rocket barrage aimed at the Israeli town of Sderot on Wednesday, but there were no reports of injuries.”
Perhaps if you rely entirely on Hamas for information that’s true but other news organisations have reported injuries, amongst them a young Israeli child.
See here:
Woman and 7-year old girl wounded by Kassam shrapnel in Sderot http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull &cid=1200308093134
http://www.israellycool.com/2008/01/16/liveblogging-the-latest-wednesday-january-16th/
Four injuries were reported yesterday: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3494630,00.html
In addition to the wounded, a poultry processing plant was hit, as well as a power line in Sderot, halting power to several areas in town. NONE of this is being reported by the BBC giving the impression that any Israeli action is purely unprovoked “violence” against innocent Palestinians.
While it’s raining rockets the BBC maintains its barage of bad reporting.
http://backspin.typepad.com/backspin/2008/01/still-raining-r.html
http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/new/A_Barrage _of_Bad_Reporting.asp
The response is almost a good one, except once again they quote the anti-Israel B’Tselem mob and think coverage must depend on body counts.
Dear Mr Biodegradable,
Thank for your comments regarding this report http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7192260.stm
At the time of reporting, there were no reports of injuries. I must admit that the line is a hostage to fortune and should not be in a report of this kind. We regularly report injuries from the rocket fire. Deaths from Palestinian rocket fire would of course be headline news.
We do our very best to be fair and accurate at all times. These are links to three articles published in the last few days that look at the subject of the rocket from Gaza from the Israeli point of view: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/7203223.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7203040.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3702088.stm
Of course the issue of rockets fired into Israel from Gaza is a very important one. The rockets cause fear and anxiety and disruption in the Israeli communities near the strip. They also have caused death, injury and damage. The indiscriminate nature of the threat is also an important factor. This said, it is instructive to look at the numbers of people killed on either side by the current violence. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reported that in all 290 Palestinians in Gaza were killed in 2007 by the Israeli military. While many of these were of course involved in violence at the time of their death, many civilians were also killed. In the same period, two Israelis were killed by rockets fired from Gaza.
Best regards,
Middle East desk BBC News website
Unbroken links:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1200308093134
http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/new/A_Barrage_of_Bad_Reporting.asp
http://www.israellycool.com/2008/01/16/liveblogging-the-latest-wednesday-january-16th/
Perhaps John Reith and “p and a tale of one chip” would like to respond to the questions I asked above?
http/www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/1510989431618841295/=3fa=3d36794#381336
… thought not…
http:/www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/ 1510989431618841295/=3fa=3d36794#381336
Ooops, sorry this proxy is mangling URLs… now if only Andrew would un-ban me…
http:/www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/1510989431618841295/=3fa=3d36794#381336
Ho-hum, try again: link
The funny thing about Muslims?
Did the show “bomb”
Boom boom
Memo to BBC:
It is important to state that whenever an ‘environmental lobby group’ expresses support for E.U. environmental policies, whether that ‘environmental lobby group’ is in receipt of a E.U. subsidy:
” The E.U. is a self-perpetuating racket ” ( by Daniel Hannan ).
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?storyID=14408
More radio competition dishonesty at the beeb:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/bbc-under-fire-after-staff-member-posed-as-radio-competition-winner-773955.html
My sister used to work on a radio station run by Gcap media and she says this sort of thing used to happen weekly when she was there.
This says two things to me – firstly that it is an industry issue rather than just a BBC problem and also that there is much more to come out at the BBC.
Of course, they may be successful in covering up the scale of the problem. Dispite my sister knowing of many, many failings at her station, not one issue has yet come to light there.
“Will the research make a difference to tackling climate change?”
And what might that be Beeboids?
“A US team of scientists claims to have taken an important step towards creating synthetic life. Will this be good for the environment?”
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=2&forumID=4158&edition=1&ttl=20080125124525&#paginator
But thankfully there are others out there who are also fed up with constant sermonising from the Beeboid Chruch of Global Warming. The Guv’nor on the DHYS thread takes the BBC to task over this:
“What could be one of the most important scientific developments in history has been twisted by the BBC’s obsession with “climate change”
SHAME ON YOU !!!
Mans ability to be able to create life from fundamental elements is without doubt one of the most amazing developments in science and will help develop our understanding of how life on earth and potentially elsewhere in the cosmos occurs
That’s the real story BBC !!!
The Guv’nor, Wirral “
thanks Guv’nor for the post 🙂
Having just got my first mp3 player, I looked forward to downloading some Radio 4 programming that I normally miss, to listen to when I walk the dog etc.
First disappointment: Neither The Moral Maze (sock it to ’em Mel) nor Any Questions are downloadable. Anyone know why?
Second disappointment: Most of the 9-5 stuff that I normally miss is choc-full of mushy liberal sentiment, often self-hating and hand-wringing; excruciating in other words. A good example was Andrew Marr’s Start the week on Monday, with guests droning on about Global Warming (“if the Greenland ice melts then the sea will rise by 4 metres and London will be lost” etc) and then some female academic who tried her best to argue that Christopher Hitchens is responsible for the deaths of 10,000,000,000 muslims (wider truth etc). Confusingly, she was also blaming right-wing Christians, or something, which was confusing sionce she also claimed to be a Christian (of the Ekklesia membership/Giles Frazer type no doubt).
Anyway, my main point is just how disappointing, Guardian-like, and frankly dull much of the Radio 4 programming is. Still, the mp3 does mean that I was able to listen to Red Ken squirming on Today more than once – good for the soul.
Further memo to BBC:
For fuller details of NGOs (inc. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, etc.), in receipt of E.U. subsidy, see:
” A vast network of influence ”
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2008/01/vast-network-of-influence.html
PS. Although Red Ken was squirming on Today, he was given a relatively easy run from Naughtie, which just goes to show how much troube the Newt is in.
PPS. I know I can listen to programmes on the internet, but it is a method that I have never settled to, and much prefer to listen whilst out walking or doing repetitive tasks, such as writing complaints to the BBC.
“Will the research make a difference to tackling climate change?”
Abandon Ship! | 25.01.08 – 12:57 pm |
I guess that has to be Climate Change Story of the Day, under the heading of “Most Inventive Manner of Mentioning Climate Change in an Unrelated Story”!
really serve to undermine the credibility of this blog. They – and similar comments posted here – are they B-BBC equivalent of the Protocols of Zion – far more telling about the person peddling the line than the supposed target.
p and a tale of one chip | 25.01.08 – 11:27 am
Ain’t no “supposed” target here. The target is very real indeed – a media organisation leeching off the British public in order to spread its biased agenda worldwide.
Now how about you taking a look at what your comments reveal about yourself?
Hmmm, tough one that, isn’t it.
Biodegradable’s Ghost | 25.01.08 – 12:25 pm
Congrats on that one. Funny, the reply could have come from John Reith – except for the polite tone.
A link to the millionaire hypocrite Polly T’s recent article defending the BBC:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2244725,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
A question to JR and his cronies: If you are not biased why is it always the lefties that leap to the BBC’s defence?
Every time.
Re the Mike Cairns revelation by John Reith.
I think you will find that this isn’t some form of polarisation of the Military towards the Media but rather ensures that the armed forces trains those who may be interviewed by the media in the art of speaking to the camera. Little nuances such as hand waving, procrastinating on air and not looking at the camera does not present the image of professionalism that people associate with the British Armed forces. The reason the armed forces uses people already in the media in which to train the others is simply because these people are already in that field and it wouldn’t do, in which to have a jumped up lance jack who knows nothing of the outside world in teaching how to face the camera. (I was actually taught by a Sgt). This art of media ops isn’t just used by the Military. No Mr Reith I’m sure that if we cast our net over big business you will find many people have also received training in how to speak to the camera.
Anybody who has been interviewed by the media will understand how saying one thing becomes something else, a something else which can become somewhat damming. For example the entity known as Reith on this blog described Mike Cairns as “This patriotic reserve officer. This is an excellent example of the double speak used by the media in which to cast aspirations on anything. At a stroke hidden meanings can be gleaned from the use of such an adjective. Lets be serious here there isn’t much that separates patriotic from Nationalistic and we all know how the BBC feels about Nationalistic sentiment in the Uk. Yup a racist.
“Whistleblower to sue Mayor over ‘bullying’ claims”
( by Andrew Gilligan ):-
This follows Livingstone’s comments on BBC ‘Today’ programme.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23434142-details/Whistleblower+to+sue+Mayor+over+%27bullying%27+claims/article.do
Congrats on that one. Funny, the reply could have come from John Reith – except for the polite tone.
Bryan | 25.01.08 – 1:27 pm
But the report has not been edited:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7192260.stm
Anonymous | 25.01.08 – 2:03 pm was me
Here is another video report from Al Jazeera about the current situation in Gaza. Take note BBC this is how a News report should be.
Biodegradable’s Ghost | 25.01.08 – 2:04 pm,
Yes, the BBC will have to be dragged kicking and screaming to edit that lie out.
It’s not just biased news that the BBC do so well. It’s drama too….
BBC makes ten dramas out of the Iraq crisis
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3248088.ece
“Kenneth Branagh is to star in a series of Newsnight-produced dramas about the Iraq war that will question the justification for the invasion.
10 Days to War, described as “part thriller, part political drama”, will run in the BBC Two Newsnight slot during the build-up to the fifth anniversary of the invasion in March. The ten-part series is written by Ronan Bennett, a left-wing dramatist who grew up as a republican activist in Northern Ireland and a critic of the War on Terror.”
No surprise there then.
Who the f*^k do the BBC think they are? Facebook?
BBC plans social networking site for children
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/25/nbbc225.xml
“A Facebook-style social networking site for children as young as six is being set up by the BBC.
The MyCBBC service will target children who are too young for other sites, such as Facebook and Bebo, which have a lower age limit of 13.
The BBC site, which is costing £200,000 to develop, will launch in April piloted among 1,000 children, but has prompted criticism that the corporation is going beyond its remit.”
Balen update.
BBC wins bid to keep journalism secret
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=40089&c=1
“The BBC today successfully fended off a Court of Appeal bid to force it to make public an internal review of its reporting in the Middle East.
Sugar appealed, but today Lord Justices Buxton, Lord Justice Lloyd and Sir Paul Kennedy backed the High Court ruling.
Sugar is considering taking his case to the highest court in the land, the House of Lords, where he would argue that the Act was badly drafted and preents disclosure of material which should be available in the public interest.”
Aren’t the BBC just scum of the lowest kind? Go on Sugar!
A border or a ‘blockade’?
Interesting how two countries (Israel, Egypt) want a closed border with Gaza, but only one country’s action is referred to as a ‘blockade’ by the BBC. Can you guess which?
Gazans make new border wall hole
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7208252.stm
“The UN has estimated that as much as half of Gaza’s 1.5 million population has crossed the border in defiance of the Israeli blockade…..”
Nasty joos!
Ritter
Q: without looking too closely, which of the 3 areas in the satellite shot at the bottom of the BBC article is Israel?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7208252.stm
Easy isn’t it?
If Hamas had their way, Israel’s territory would move up to the top left corner of the shot.
Heard Nicky Campbell this morning start to use the I word before hastily correcting himself to say migration with reference to whether migration had contributed to the overstretched maternity services. Is reference to Immigration now taboo?
“Is reference to Immigration now taboo?”
I have noticed substitution of the word “migrant” by the BBC on many occasions. Of course it suggests the person discussed is “just passing through” rather here to stay.
The BBC should consider this: the Israelis want no ties with Gaza
” Israel says it wants to stop supplying electicity and water to Gaza”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019701.php#comments
This is worth noticing, even if it’s a few days old and only a tiny, minuscule fraction of a percentage of what the BBC does.
Kevin Connolly wrote an analysis piece on McCain’s victory in the recent South Carolina primary. The article is mainly about the Republican race, which is as it should be.
The accompanying two video clips and the first photo concern Republicans. Next comes Florida, and after a brief mention of Giuliani, Connolly turns to the Democrats. Naturally this calls for a smiling Clinton photo, complete with “huge victory” caption.
So out of 882 words in the article, with a headline about McCain’s victory, 250 words cover the Dems.
The only featured Have Your Say quote is….
wait for it…..
“America will most likely vote for a Democrat in the upcoming election”
If that sounds at all familiar it’s because that what the BBC has been telling us all the entire time.
well let’s jusk ask JR:
JR, AFAYK, is the bbc giving the word ‘immigrant’ the ‘terrorist’ treatment?
John Reith | 25.01.08 – 12:12 pm
Re: your oh-so-clever “manage to stab” rejoinder–
The reason it’s different with the Ynet report vs the BBC report John, is that it’s all about context. The YNET link you so glibly provide has this headline before the “manage to stab” line: “Police officer killed, 3 injured in terror attacks in J’lem area.” There’s no mistaking, from the headline, who the attackers were and what the context was. The BBC headline, if you recall, was “Three Dead in Mid-East Violence.” Pretty darn neutral if you ask me. Like they were all knocked over by a Mid-East “hamsin”, or were all caught in the middle of some skirmish.
John, feel free to chalk up an example here or there you feel doesn’t measures up to your “bias” criteria to overzealous nitpicking. But please don’t insult my intelligence by telling me that the cumulative effect of thousands of articles with subtle bias due to omission, selection of detail, and innuendo doesn’t have an effect on readers. Did you even bother to look at my earlier post comparing CNN, MSNBC and BBC reports on the the initial story about the shutting down of the Gaza power plant? Multiply that subtle difference of emphasis in the BBC report as compared to the CNN and MSNBC reports by several thousand, and the picture becomes eminently clear. I know, because I’ve been reading the site for six years daily, from the height of the second intifada onward, and comparing it to Reuters, AP reports as well as many American, Israeli, European and Arab world news sites.
George R | 25.01.08 – 5:37 pm,
Thanks for that link. Interesting stuff.
A question for the Israelis out there.
Is Israel blockading the Gazan ports or are the Pallys able to ship supplies in by sea? For some reason this questions seems to remain unasked by the BBC.
The Fat Contractor | 25.01.08 – 7:42 pm
Gazan fishermen take their boats out, but any attempts at smuggling are nipped in the bud by Israeli boats in the area. Has to be the case, to stop terrorists and arms smuggling all along the coast. Six years ago the Israeli navy intercepted and boarded the Karine A, which was bound for Gaza bristling with Iranian arms, including Katyushas.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+and+Islamic+Fundamentalism-/Karine+A+terrorists+sentenced+19-Oct-2004.htm
I’m not sure why the BBC is mum on the coastal issue. Maybe it can’t quite find the Israeli-bashing angle here, or maybe it simply prefers not to draw unwelcome attention to its Iranian friends as they arm the Palestinians to the teeth.
But there is an interesting situation developing here of course. The forced reunion between Gaza and Egypt is good in the short term because it takes the pressure off Israel for a while but in the long term will probably make weapons and terrorist smuggling into Gaza from Egypt much easier than it has been up to now. It’s likely that Egypt will typically continue turn a blind eye to this as a sort of safety valve to let the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas) blow off steam in the direction of Israel rather than threatening Egypt.
This could be an interesting debate:
British values
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/01/british_values.html
“On Friday The World Tonight is mounting a special debate on British Values. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has talked a lot about British values and has called for them to be defined. Robin Lustig will be discussing whether there are any common British values, and if so, what they are with a panel of politicians, writers and historians from across the UK.
On our panel:
the constitutional renewal minister Michael Wills
the Conservative front-bench spokesman David Willetts
the author and columnist Joan Smith
Birmingham city councillor Salma Yacoub
and the Scottish historian and journalist Neal Ascherson.
The BBC does not trail the Islamic dimension here but the panel reveals a Labour, Tory spokesman along with two historians/writers.
The other two commentators are both know for their thoughts on Islam.
Joan Smith: Islam and the modern world don’t mix
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/joan-smith/joan-smith-islam-and-the-modern-world-dont-mix-760717.html
Salma Yacoub
Respect Party Councillor, Stop the War Coalition Speaker, Muslim
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/salma_yaqoob/2006/04/common_ground_from_cairo_to_ca.html
Salma recently spoke at this ‘Clash of Civilisations’ debate – interesting read over at Harry’s place
“A World Civilisation or a Clash of Civilisations?”
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:-pS2wAnbadQJ:hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2007/01/22/a_very_civilised_clash.php+Salma+Yacoub&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=uk
The BBC, how it covers up for Hamas and half a story..
The other day I contrasted the BBC news report of how women were injured while trying to escape Gaza against that of Al jazeera which showed that it was a political stunt
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/1510989431618841295/#380995
So today the BBC again reports from the border and both BBC reporters state that while there has been shooting nobody knows who is doing the shooting. Here is what the BBC isn’t telling you;
“Egyptian forces shot in the air, fired water cannons and — in a particularly forceful display — deployed dogs to hinder the flow of Gazans into Egypt. Dogs are considered impure by observant Muslims. As bulldozers ripped down the wall and Gazans jumped over, soldiers ran with their dogs to chase the infiltrators. Hamas militants then opened fire on the dogs, killing three of them.
An Egyptian soldier was slightly wounded in the leg, likely from gunshots fired by Hamas militants on the Gazan side, an Egyptian officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk to the media. Five policemen were also injured by stones hurled by Gazans. Egyptian ambulances rushed into a patch of land separating Egypt from Gaza to pick up the injured, with Hamas militants clearing the area of people so they could arrive and do their job.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080125/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians;_ylt=An4cNMiA20_qTdqeMlQPW81vaA8F
Now just in case the BBC clones come online and say that they can’t report everything they don’t see.
Here are a few photos (if you like dogs don’t link in)
A masked Palestinian Hamas militant, right, talks to Egyptian border guards and riot police officers at the border wall between Egypt and Gaza, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 25, 2008. The gunman then shot at the direction of the police dogs, seen left, killing 3 of them according to witnesses.
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080125/capt.93a5cf1a90304459a1d6433feee4e29d.mideast_israel_palestinians_axlp147.jpg?x=400&y=284&sig=83HoNLYce7juavMYH1QtyA–
A Palestinian Hamas militant, unseen, fires at the direction of Egyptian police dogs,as Egyptian border guards and riot police officers try to protect themselves at the border between Egypt and Gaza, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 25, 2008. The gunman killed 3 of the dogs according to witnesses.
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080125/capt.286e4d52cd694854b193e43af9020457.mideast_israel_palestinians_axlp148.jpg?x=400&y=284&sig=icIk1nxRrLI6STGZSu1urQ–
An Egyptian riot police officer runs to the direction of a Palestinian Hamas militant, unseen, who fired at the direction of Egyptian police dogs
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080125/capt.fbb3682c5f4541749386de4628159889.mideast_israel_palestinians_axlp149.jpg?x=400&y=326&sig=C9VE7vBK1Wkw0nwRfswGuA–
The BBC, how it covers up for Hamas and half a story..
Just had a look at the BBC report
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7209495.stm
watch right at the end of the Ian Pannell video. They have the shot dogs and the guard running after the gunman. (yet the BBC make it look like Egyptian aggression)
The BBC is determined to propagate Green propaganda whenever possible. Most of you will not be aware that on Radio Scotland there are 6 minute news bulletins for the Highlands and Islands. This evening the lead story was that the Scottish government will proabably reject the plan for an enormous wind farm, generating plenty of cash for the lairds but precious little else, on Lewis. They mentioned that over 5000 letters of objections and a handful of letters in support had been sent about this matter. So did they interview one of the overwhelming majority? Don’t be silly, of course not. They found some councillor, who clearly did not represent the views of his constituents, who supported the destruction of huge areas of natural habitat and allowed him to spout on for 2 minutes or so, out of 6 minutes for the entire bulletin.
The BBc reporting from Gaza/Egypt border seems to suggest Hamas has a right to “invade” Egypt.That demolishing the wall is somehow an act of liberation.To me it looks like a deliberate attempt to destabalise Egypt and to try out a new tactic-civilian invasions en masse.Next step will probably be for Hamas to try the same tactic against Israel.No doubt the BBC,not really accepting the right of Israel to it’s borders, will try to present this as another act of liberation.This is a very very dangerous time and may plunge us all into a major war.The BBC shows no sign of understanding the perils ahead.
Dave s wrote;
To me it looks like a deliberate attempt to destabalise Egypt and to try out a new tactic-civilian invasions en masse.
It’s now past Midnight and every news agency reports different from the BBC version here;
Egyptians retreat from Gaza fence
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7210311.stm#map
Here are the web sites I’ve looked at;
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080124%5CACQDJON200801241422DOWJONESDJONLINE001117.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2247277,00.html
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=197951&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/426198
I get the impression that the BBC wants to embolden the Brotherhood in Eygpt and in effect have radical Islam rule in those countries that dare makes a stand its masters.
Even though the Gaza debate has moved on from Israel’s closure of borders to the invasion of Egypt by Gazans, the anti-Semites continue to flood HYS with comparisons of Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto and Israelis to Nazis. And even though these comments break at least two HYS rules by being off-topic and abusive, the “moderators” publish them. Like this one with its current twelve groupies:
Added: Saturday, 26 January, 2008, 07:29 GMT 07:29 UK
What do Israel and the west want?? Israel will not rest until the last Palestinian is dead, and the border being closed will do this, its just a typical Israeli reaction. Let them through to get food, medical supplies, guns, rockets, nuclear missiles, napalm, ammunition, biological weapons, apache gunships, F16 fighter aircraft.
Its only what the US has given Israel in the past, let Hamas have an equal footing for once and see who wins…
Jonathan Hale, Worksop, United Kingdom
Recommended by 12 people
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7209500.stm
Funny how the fact that a Labour led committee blames everyone BUT Brown and Darling for the Northern Rock fiasco and the BBC willingly play along. Not a sausage about Darling’s incompetence and Brown’s bottling of yet another hard decision….yet even the Guardian along with most papers this morning is criticising them both. Funny that.
BBC – we issue press releases on behalf of the Labour Party – this is what we do. Quite how we can justify 3 billion to do this is another story!
Just wanted to highlight a very apposite analogy to the state of the economy. Its found in the comments section of the link posted by this (off topic) comment in the ‘What Middle East Bias?’ thread:
Tom FD | 26.01.08 – 12:43 pm | #
The ‘Jenga’ Economy
Not appearing on the BBC soon.
Bryan | 25.01.08 – 8:17 pm |
I’d’ve thought a reunion with Egypt would be a very bad idea. Hamas will continue to lob rockets over the border just like they do from The Lebanon. Somehow I think the Eygptians will be less than happy should Israel fire back.:(
What has been happening in regards to the EU in the commons and European Parliament is suspiciously not much of an issue for the BBC. From what I’ve seen the BBC is ‘not bovvered’ about it. The same ‘not bovvered’ it has been for years now. Clearly bias of omission. We get what we deserve don’t we? And we’ve sure got it coming…
Spot the difference.
As we know, the BBC never knowingly criticise Labour. That’s policy.
First Sky News.
Report Criticises ‘Reckless’ Rock Plans
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91211-1302464,00.html
“The city’s financial watchdog – and by implication Gordon Brown – come in for severe criticism from a Labour dominated commons committee today over the Northern Rock crisis.”
“Shadow chancellor George Osborne states that the committee’s report “sets out yet more evidence of damaging dithering, and attacks his lack of leadership”.
Next how the BBC spins it for The Great Leader. No quote from George Osbourne, infact no mention of Gordo at all:
Rock report prompts reform calls
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7210897.stm
“The government is coming under pressure to overhaul the way the banking system is monitored, following a scathing report into the Northern Rock crisis.”
No mention from the Beeb that it was Gordo himself who set up these tripartite arrangements during his time at no11 that ‘failed abysmally’ according to the committee report. Broon can do no wrong according to the Beeb.
Sky News can work it out. Why can’t the BBC?
Bias. It’s what they do at the BBC.