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 also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.
Week-end BBC-related comment thread!
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What was the BBC playing at during the 1967 war?
The British Broadcasting Corporation served as a main instrument of the Arab Information services, publicly repeating even the most improbable of their reports and severely censoring the only version of events – from its reporter in Jerusalem – that corresponded to the truth. Many hours after the officer commanding the Israeli Air Force had announced the destruction of the Egyptian Air Force, British newspapers were still debating whether Britain could stand aside and see Israel destroyed.
From Battleground: Fact and fantasy in Palestine by Samuel Katz. (1973).
Reference: Randolph S. Churchill and Winston S. Churchill, The Six Day War (London 1967), Chapter 8 and Appendix 1.
Some things never change.
Rod Liddle says these tokenistic programmes demonstrate that the BBC’s view of the vast majority of people in this country remains appallingly patronising. The Corporation has not renounced its bad old metropolitan ways at all
Rod Liddle used to edit the Today Program
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/features/552791/the-bbc-white-season-only-shows-how-little-auntie-has-really-changed.thtml
Anybody seen this? http://www.libdemvoice.org/qts-protory-bias-the-bbc-replies-to-lib-dem-voice-2351.html
Bryan,
Its even worse than you think. For most people in the UK, their outlook and views, as well as their knowledge of the world and current events, is based at least partly on the BBC.
This includes the ordinary people who pay for it – but importantly it includes the political classes who often base their thinking and policies on the skewed information they receive.
One example of exactly this is the playing down race riots in the UK and abroad. The BBC have some misguided idea that hiding these problems will make society better. This means that problems are hidden from the politicos.
It’s been a long time (weeks, days?) since anyone accused the BBC of antisemitism but this Guardian article Passion Thriller should set the ball rolling ‘again’. Stephen Pollard discusses it here.
Salmon (Hilary Salmon, the BBC executive drama producer of ‘The Passion’) says: “[HBO is] more sensitive than we are to the Jewish angle. Many of its core audience are Jewish liberals who set the cultural agenda much more than here, so we had a Jewish consultant, as well as experts on the gospels. You had to be careful not to tie yourself in knots though.”
I’ll make a preliminary bet. The series will offend Jews (If it’s loyal to the sources that is not easily avoidable). But I’ll also make a second bet. It will offend Christians even more. 🙁
Iran sounds like a right old liberal regime. Read here. It’s got self censoring journalists, websites and blogs shut down by Guardians of social cohesion and health and airwaves dominated by “official propaganda.”
Let’s not forget that Ahmadinejad was invited to the very liberal Columbia University in America. Also the liberalist Democrats of America want to open diplomatic dialogue with the revolutionary Ahmadinejad thus validating his liberal regime.
After all, in this country saying that Enoch Powell was highly prescient in his conservative views of immigration can end your career. But describing the King of Cuba as a “great hero” is laudable.
The following programme probably represents the present incumbents of the BBC having a jolly good sneer at the values of some of their pre-1968 predecessors whilst neglecting to point out that they themselves are surely at least as much agents of establishment control.
“Auntie’s War on Smut
Part of The Curse of Comedy season. In 1948 the BBC issued a book of guidelines that would define its role and values in postwar Britain. Known as The Green Book, it kept a generation of errant writers and performers in check.
This film is a journey through twenty years of censorship from the BBC with contributions from writers and performers like Denis Norden, Nicholas Parsons, Sir David Frost and Jonathan Miller. [S]
Tue 18 Mar, 21:00-22:00 60mins Stereo Widescreen “
sorry forgot to add that this ‘Smut’ show is on BBC4.
Here’s looking forward to ‘Auntie’s war on national self-determination’ circa 2049.
The BBC, racist attacks and half the story.
Priest hurt in faith-hate attack
A priest has been attacked in the grounds of his church, in what police described as a “faith-hate” crime.
Canon Michael Ainsworth, 57, was injured by two Asian youths at the church, in Tower Hamlets, east London.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7297901.stm
Faith-Hate?
Why can’t the BBCX simply use the same term as it would if the priest had beaten up 2 ‘Asian’ youths?
‘Racist’
The BBC, racist attacks and half the story.
Hmm, “Asian” youths attack a priest. Hari Krishnas perhaps? Buddists maybe?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7297901.stm
Deegee,
The Guardian piece quoting the BBC exec regarding the “setting of the cultural agenda in the U.S. by liberal Jews” seems to be one example of the problem noticed by the U.S. State Department Global report on Anti-Semitism that just came out, which states: “”Jews continue to be accused of blood libel, dual loyalty, and undue influence on government policy and THE MEDIA (my caps), and the symbols and images associated with age-old forms of anti-Semitism endure.”
Moreover, the report points out “”societal anti-Semitism” in places where there have been efforts to fight the problem. Among the countries are Poland, Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany and the UNITED KINGDOM (my caps).”
( http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/14/anti-semitism/index.html )
It’s not the first time the BBC has “slipped up” regarding its point of view on these matters. When the BBC website reported on oppostion to the formation of the State Department report on Global anti-Semitism itself it stated, without attribution: “America’s Jewish community is small but powerful and historically favours the Democrats”, right below a sub-headline that said: “Powerful community.”
( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3742518.stm )
Its even worse than you think.
Jack Hughes | 15.03.08 – 12:42 am
Arrrgghh.
For some reason that reminds me of the way the BBC “covered” the Muslim on Coptic Christian attacks in Egypt a few years back during which a nun was stabbed by one of the courageous members of the Religion of Peace and churches destroyed.
It took the BBC more than a day after other media to timidly dip its toe in to test the water there and what did it come up with?
Violence flared
Right violence just goes around spontaneously flaring, according to the BBC. There’s never a cause for it when Islam is involved. For all we know from the BBC, suicidal Copts, including the nun, might have attacked the Muslim mobs.
News organisation? The BBC is a bad joke.
Just heard on BBC Breakfast, with reference to the Shannon Mathews case “this is the biggest investigation conducted since the hunt for Jack The Ripper”
Erm dont you mean The YORKSHIRE Ripper, Jack was doing his thing in 1888.
The BBC only 100 years out.
sorry should read –
“this is the biggest investigation conducted by West Yorkshire police since the hunt for Jack The Ripper”
Erm dont you mean The YORKSHIRE Ripper, Jack was doing his thing in 1888.
The BBC only 100 years out.
A plug this morning on the Today programme for a
‘Stop the War Coalition’,
surely not 🙁
David Cameron was given a ridiculously hostile interview on “breakfast” this morning.
10 years of labour government and Labour politicians are treated like some kind of noble opposition and given time to explain their policies and how great they are, while Conservative politicians are treated as if they are a party in power whose policies are currently in force and failing, and are called upon to justify their policies!
David Cameron has the patience of a saint with the BBC; there must be an enormous temptation to snap at the interviewers.
Working title for the BBC2 ‘white’ series was ‘Hideously White’.
Ok- i made that up,but it fits better don’t it
Astonishing report on Gaza on ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ Radio 4 this morning.
Lots of emotional / human interest stiff about the suffering of the Palestinians, apparently it was all the fault of Israel for sealing off the Gaza / Egypt border. NO MEBTION that the Egyptians want nothing to do with Gaza and the people there, even though Israel would be happy to hand care of Gaza over to the Egyptians.
Lots of teary stuff about the Israeli blockade, though NO QUESTION as to how all those rockets get in.
Heartbreaking stuff about how they people are being forced into poverty and how the only well paid jobs still available for poor fathers is the HAMAS “security forces”. The Beeboid correspondent did not even have the decency to flinch as he told us this. NO QUESTION as to where the money for funding HAMAS terrorists comes from, nor why if there is all this money in the HAMAS coffers it is not used for the urgent humanitarian needs the Beeb has spent the previous five minutes telling us about.
Here’s a couple of interesting developments on the Climate Change (previously known as “weather”) front:-
NOAA: Coolest Winter Since 2001 for U.S., Globe
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080313_coolest.html
Weather Channel Founder: Sue Al Gore for Fraud
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337710,00.html
That would be a very American way of finally flushing out the Climate Change debacle.
Maybe the Beeb could qualify as a co-defendant – along with a few politicians.
I see the beeboid troll hillhunt isn’t on duty at the weekends, trying to lead the debate down futile channels. Presumably he is the beeboid replacement JR persona ?
There’s nothing about it on the front page : http://news.bbc.co.uk
Although if you look very carefully on the England news page ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/default.stm ) under the heading “More News from around England – London/South” there is a link : “Priest hurt in faith-hate attack” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7297901.stm.
I wonder, would the news coverage have been any different if it was an Imam attacked by white youths ?
And if you look at other media coverage of the story Bill, you will find there is not much more detail to report at the moment:
http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&q=Canon+Michael+Ainsworth&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn
Most reports are a couple of paragraphs, it may well receive more coverage when more information becomes available.
“NRG:
Astonishing report on Gaza on ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ Radio 4 this morning. ”
(not all that astonishing, more run of the mill)
……………yes, and naturally, no question about stopping the rockets. Non negotiable, presumably.
Good review by John Lloyd of the current BBC tripe-fest about Iraq :
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8122846a-f233-11dc-9b45-0000779fd2ac.html
In a series of short (10-minute) films, dramatic haikus to mark the five-year anniversary of the preparations for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq (BBC2, Monday-Friday), the BBC has again shown the narcissism of small imaginations. Narcissism, because like so much of what passes for debate on Iraq, the programmes stare obsessively at the images the media themselves create of the conflict and its causes; small imaginations, because these images are tightly bounded by a tacit but iron will to confine all debate within variations on the theme of Americo-British responsibility for a disaster.
Compare and contrast – 2 different policy proposals from the Conservative and Labour conferences:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7271015.stm – Labour proposals.
Notice nothing from the Conservatives, and the only criticism is a tiny paragraph that is then torn apart by Ed ‘So What?’ Balls.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7298364.stm – Conservative proposals.
Beverley ‘Free Visas’ Hughes is given a decent chunk of the article for a quote. The Cameron response is then given a further wack with some good ole’ ‘Tories down in opinion polls’ nonsense. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever actually seen the BBC comment when opinion polls show the Conservative lead growing. They only mention it when the trend is favourable to the government – “Brown will be heartened by the decreasing Tory lead” – that sort of thing.
Christianophobic Muslim youths attack priest:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/020318.php
Thousands join anti-war protests
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7298205.stm
But millions stay at home!!
Britain as a foreign country, threatened by Islamic jihadists:
This is what the “BBC’s Islamic Affairs Analyst”, Robert Hardy authoritively informs us infidel licence-payers and tax-payers about UK security, anti-Islamic jihad actions:
“Policemen must visit mosques and explain what they do to sceptical Muslim congregations.”
Really? Is this in the Labour Party manifesto?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7297139.stm
The world’s anti-terrorism experts met for a conference in Stockholm this week and, as Roger Hardy, the BBC’s Islamic Affairs Analyst, found, optimism was in short supply.
Lot’s of interesting mixed messages here.
http://thumbsnap.com/v/zdfanBRP.gif
Strangely neither the word militant nor the word militancy appeared in the article.
http://thumbsnap.com/v/ktAZy4dF.gif
Inflamed opinions illustrated with a burning Danish flag. 🙂
http://thumbsnap.com/v/8Y1qm4oH.gif
Somehow this slipped through that the appropriate person to attend a conference on Grappling with global terror conundrum was the Islamic Affairs Analyst. Perhaps the cooking analyst was unavailable? How often does the BBC admit even indirectly that ‘militancy’ (sic) is essentially a conflict between Muslims and the rest of us?
George R | 15.03.08 – 3:57 pm
‘snap’
What war is that? The one in Iraq between Islamikazes, Sunni and Shia?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7298205.stm
Even Fisk has a long piece about the cult of the suicide bomber in Iraq:
” While there is evidence aplenty that the Japanese suicide pilots of the Second World War were sometimes coerced and intimidated into their final flights against US warships in the Pacific, many also believed that they were dying for their emperor. For them, the fall of cherry blossom and the divine wind • the ‘kamikaze’ • blessed their souls as they aimed their bombers at American aircraft carriers. But even an industrialised dictatorship like Japan • facing the imminent collapse of its entire society at the hands of a superpower • could only mobilise 4,615 ‘kamikazes’. The Iraq suicide bombers may already have reached half that number.
“But the Japanese authorities encouraged their pilots to think of themselves as a collective suicide unit whose insignia of imminent death • white Rising Sun headbands and white scarves • prefigured the yellow headbands imprinted with Koranic script that Hizbollah guerrillas wore when they set out to attack Israeli soldiers in the occupied zone of southern Lebanon. In Iraq, however, those who direct the growing army of suiciders do not lack inventiveness. Their bombers have arrived at the scene of their self-destruction dressed as car mechanics, soldiers, police officers, middle-aged housewives, children’s sweet-sellers, worshippers and • on one occasion • a ‘harmless’ shepherd. They have carried their bombs in Oldsmobiles, fuel trucks, garbage trucks, flat-bed trucks, on donkeys and bicycles, motor-bikes and mopeds and carts, minibuses, date-vendors’ vans, mobile recruitment centres and lorries packed with chlorine. Incredibly, there appears to be no individual central “brain” behind the bombings • although “groupuscules” of bombers obviously exist. Inspiration, imitation and the globalised influence of the internet appear sufficient to empower the bombers of Iraq.”
(Of course, Fisk, cryptically, in the last 2 lines of his piece, blames Bush for the cult of the suicide bomber, not the cult of death in Islam.)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/fisk/robert-fisk-the-cult-of-the-suicide-bomber-795649.html
For more about the suicide bombings of Islamic jihadists, see:
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
The BBC, racist attacks and half the story.
pounce | 15.03.08 – 7:55 am
Faith-Hate?
Why can’t the BBCX simply use the same term as it would if the priest had beaten up 2 ‘Asian’ youths?
‘Racist’
Or else, doesn’t this mean that they can’t call anti-Islamic sentiment “racism” any more?
Lurker in a Burqua,many thanks for the Rod Liddle link.
Who is “Ken Aide”? Who are they talking about in this article? I’m totally baffled, is it Lee Jasper? If so, why is the BBC unable to mention his name in this weird article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7296856.stm
“London’s mayor Ken Livingstone has an aide who has recently been busted sending amorous e-mails to a friend. The aide, known in the tabloid press as “Ken aide”, has a few questions to answer about what he has been doing with some of the money entrusted to him.
Ken Aide’s friend, prominent in that official field of race relations which is now known as community cohesion, has been quoted as saying: “I see a time when race policy will only be actioned with the sanction of committees.”
There could be no clearer evidence that the English language is in a bad way.”
The BBC, racist attacks and half the story.
pounce | 15.03.08 – 7:55 am | #
Except the article states that it’s a ‘faith-hate’ attack. Normally people here are at pains to point out that muslims (who I’d guess most people here would presume – not unreasonably – the perpetrators to be) aren’t a race.
Dare I ask what you all thought of ‘All White in Barking’ shown last night?
As I mentioned earlier, the BBC only mention opinion polls when they reflect an improving picture for the government, as per this article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7298364.stm
“A poll of polls in the Independent newspaper, analysing the trends identified in surveys over the past few weeks, suggested the Tories were averaging a six-point lead over Labour, down from nine points at the start of the year.”
It will be interesting to see if this latest poll gets a mention anywhere. Would give the Conservatives a 134-seat majority, in case anyone wondered.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3559030.ece
Don’t mention the war
Older readers will remember Basil Fawlty’s memorable slogan when some german guests arrived.
The new slogan at the BBC is “Mention the Iraq war at every opportunity”
This time its The Day in Pictures last picture (number 8 ).
Its a bag-lady from Iraq to the casual observer – but to the beeber its:
Five years after US-led troops swept across Iraq, an Iraqi woman waits for a bus bound for Syria at Baghdad’s International Bus Station.
Next week: Five years after US-led troops swept across Iraq, Delia shows us how to boil an egg.
Newsnight blog taking a dig at the Conservatives:
Michael Crick is at the Tory conference – in the light of recent Government problems why are they not doing better?
We’ll hear from the Shadow Chancellor George Osborne – we’ll ask him to explain why the Tories aren’t doing better
Hmm, according to the BBC, the Tories aren’t doing very well, but according to Teletext…
Tories surge to poll lead
“The Conservatives have enjoyed a massive opinion poll boost as they scored a 16-point lead over Labour -their biggest for more than 20 years.”
http://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/fe4490f0952336da3eac01cffee32e40/Tories+surge+to+poll+lead.aspx
The BBC: Taking sly digs at the Conservatives whenever we can, its what we do.
Thinking about it it is possible to link the BBc’s relentless hostility to Israel(typified by the untrue and unchecked story of the house demolition) and the attitudes revealed by the programme makers in the “White” series.
The problem is with the people who are the BBC.
Group mind rules and this mind has a need.It needs the Palastinians as heroes and the Israelis as villians.It is an emotional need quite unrelated to reality and this leads them to rush out any anti Israel story because that is what they want and need.
In the White series the same group need leads them to make a programme that will convince them that everything they have been taught to believe is actually happening.They have no intention of giving a voice to the white working class but providing themselves with comfort food.hence the worthy programme on the Birmingham school where there are no white children(2 in fact).And that curious film on Barking which looked like an attempt at wish fulfilment by the producer.
I suppose this comes from 40 years of recruiting the like minded and the conformists.Probably nice harmless people but all of one mind.
As the times move against them they must feel threatened but they still posssess great power.I sometimes think this is why Cameron is so careful to keep them guessing and to treat them with such courtesy.
Meanwhile we must watch out but with the “White” series looking a spectacular and bizarre failure maybe they will over reach themselves.
As myself and Benny suggested:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7298800.stm
New polls in the Sunday newspapers suggest a post-Budget upturn, but will this focus on family give the party a further boost in popularity?
So not “biggest opinion poll lead since Michael Foot and his donkey jacket”, just an “upturn.
Is’nt it time that everyone on these threads, whom agrees with the sentiments that the BBC are no more than an extended mouth peice for both Nu Labour and any leftist quango imaginable, started a campaign to end public financing of this ghastly corporation.
Perhaps its only me, but I really resent having to pay an annual “subscription” to be both scorned and derided, from the comfort of my own living room, by a Socialist entity that thinks nothing of me.
The “White” season on BBC two was almost treasonous in its slanderous attacks on the indigenous races of the United Kingdom.
What other peoples in the world would be “subjected too”, and “put up with”, such putrid, racist propoganda, from an orginization that claims to be the voice of this Nation?.
Its time to make the BBC fight for their place in the market. They’ve consistantly proven, that they are no better than an angst ridden teenager on a moralistic crusade to smash the evils of “The capitalist system”.
Just as with teenagers, we should kick them out into the real world and make them find their own way, because our licence fee adiction, buys us vindictive spoilt brats.
Enviromentalism is Fascism
http://www.ecofascism.com/index.html
half past 11 & the BBC continue to ingore, on Teletext & online, the Sunday paper poll news, the BBC article on Cameron riduculously still states
poll of polls in the Independent newspaper, analysing the trends identified in surveys over the past few weeks, suggested the Tories were averaging a six-point lead over Labour, down from nine points at the start of the year
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7298364.stm
ITN have an article UPDATED at 22:14 with the 16 & 9 point Con lead.
http://itn.co.uk/news/ac67c2da52282d942933a3c303319e67.html
Wonder if Marx will have noticed by 9am tomorrow.
Conservatives have their biggest poll lead for 25 years. Any sign of this anywhere on the NuLiebour/BBC site?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/default.stm
Er, nope. Only yesterday the BBC were banging on about Cameron having to dismiss poll leads of just 6%.
Today Labour are at the lowest ebb since Worzel was party leader in 1983. How could this turnaround have snuck up on the BBC when they have such an army of political writers/reportes/correspondents at their beck and call?
Any news on the BBC leftist covering the ongoing implosion of the Obama campaign for President?
It has been developing here since Thursday night.
It appears that Obama has been attending a racist church for the past 20 years and the “pastor” who Obama has promoted as his “spiritual advisor” and influencer of this books and campaign has been exposed as an America and “white” hating racist. His “sermons” have little to do with the message of Christ and more to do with “evil white greed” and getting “whitey”.
I know this probably makes Obama more qualified to the BBC but it isn’t playing very well here.
His campaign is going down in flames.
Why has Bush allowed the feds to bail out Bear Stearns? A true conservative would tell the banks to go f*** themselves.
I see Gordon has given his Non-Dom friends even bigger tax-loopholes, with not a peep out of the BBC.
Now 8.00 am.
Sunday Times (UK’s biggest Sunday daily) is leading with the Yougov poll news:-
Support for Labour hits 25-year low
David Smith and Jonathan Oliver
Full YouGov poll results
Labour has slumped to its lowest poll rating since 1983, when Michael Foot was leader, as voters delivered a withering verdict on last week’s budget.
Gordon Brown’s party slipped to 27% • 16 points behind the Conservatives • amid growing concern about the government’s economic competence, a YouGov survey for The Sunday Times shows today
The biggest political shift in 25 years – bet the whole team of highly paid, finely tuned BBC political newshounds were in the office at the crack of dawn to cover the story…..
Err…no – nothing on the website yet.
Are they all sitting in a circle with their fingers in their ears going… “La la la …can’t hear you!”
Before the trolls turn up – mea maxima culpa.
I libelled the BBC news team.
Of course they had covered the biggest Tory lead in 25 years, this morning.
It’s carefully buried in paragraph 4 of a story about them “postponing” tax cuts – (“more bad news from the Tories folks!”)
Tories would ‘save up’ tax cuts
Philip Hammond says postponed tax cuts could form a ‘great bonus’
A Conservative government could hold tax cuts for a first term to build up reserves for a “bonus” offer to secure a second term, a shadow minister said.
Philip Hammond, shadow Treasury chief secretary, told the Sunday Telegraph money would be given away in tax cuts “when the money’s piled up in the pot.”
He added: “You can’t look at it in a single year, or even necessarily in a four-year parliament.”
A YouGov poll has placed the Tories 16 points ahead of Labour.
(imagine the last paragraph delivered in a choked whisper for the full effect.)
Actually, the BBC does include it as a paragraph at the end of this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7299126.stm
Not surprisingly there’s no mention of the significance of this lead, and it’s put right at the end of a story that’s been twisted to suggest the Tories plan to bribe the electorate to secure a second term. In fact, reading between the lines, it seems Hammond is just reiterating that the Conservatives may not be in a position to offer tax cuts straight away but could be by the end of their term. The journalist has done his best to make this look like a cynical ploy, though. It is presented pretty much exactly how the Labour party would spin it.
Sorry, JRSIHG beat me to it.