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!
General BBC-related comment thread!
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I see that the BBC are as usual doing Labour’s work for them. They “report” that: “Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Brian Paddick has warned his rivals he will not be endorsing either – in the battle for voters’ second preferences.
Labour’s Ken Livingstone said he shared “90%” of policies with the Lib Dems and once urged Labour voters to back a Lib Dem MP in a marginal seat in 2001.
But Mr Paddick, who polls place third, said it was a “naked attempt” to get his second preference votes.
Tory Boris Johnson said he did not want to be BNP voters’ second preference.”
Beautifully done BBC, you report that Brian Paddick won’t endorse either of the two main candidates, then “report” how Lib Dems are closer to Ken than Boris and finish up by associating Boris with the BNP – excellent work, Gordon will be pleased with you.
Am shocked no one has mentioned last night’s Question Time. I’m sure someone more erudite than I (ie, less lazy) can analyse it properly, but the standout section for me was Boris getting a severe grilling about his ironic / satirical “racist” comments, while Ken’s anti-semetic remarks and general palliness with bigotted suicide bomb-supporting clerics was merely touched upon.
Paraphrasing:
To Boris: “I think you should answer the question. It’s absolutely relevant.”
To Ken: “Okay, let’s move on now…”
Quite, Mr Dimbleby was a paragon of unbiased and independent moderation, not.
I haven’t watched Question Time for years, not good for my blood pressure.
License advert
Has anyone seen the current advert to ‘encourage’ us to buy the TV license?
A little Blade Runner in its Orwellian depiction of the workings of an all-seeing computer system.
But rather than illustrating that there is no point in hiding – it simply and harrowingly and intimidatingly how Big Brother will get you!
Talk about misjudging the Zeitgeist!
Most people have had enough of surveillance and control of information – I suppose my gripe is – what tossers – to not understand this – and turn us off even more – after all, plugging in to the Zeitgeist is supposed to be what they do!
Have a look at the BBC have your say on the internet , the moderators will block any sensible comment you make that is in any way critical of them , islam , immigration , homosexuality etc they never say why they block out the comments mine never break the house rules, its obvious to me they are a bunch of liberalist Labour voters with a bias towards immigration and sandals.
Have been avoiding QT for years, too – it’s a cesspit of left-wing and antisemitic propaganda.
Before I decided that I didn’t need reminding how vile BBC propaganda is, though, I did manage to enjoy Melanie Philips putting that ghastly racist Diane Abbott in her place, showing her up to be ignorant as well as a dumb antisemite.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=561920&in_page_id=1773
“The BBC is a load of rubbish and I’m not sure Gary Lineker’s my friend anymore,’ fumes former presenter Ian Wright”
Ian Wright has branded the BBC a “load of rubbish” in another scathing rant at the corporation.
The footballer turned presenter, who announced he would no longer work for Beeb last week, has claimed it is a “disgrace” after losing the rights to screen international football matches in the UK.
He fumed: “It just shows how out of touch they have become and it’s a complete disgrace. Deep down, I don’t think the stuffed shirts there really know what they want.”
“They put out these sinister adverts about what will happen if you don’t pay your licence fee and then serve up a load of rubbish.”
“What do viewers get for their money? Cookery programmes, Strictly Come Dancing and an unbelievable amount of repeats.”
In an interview with The Sun, the 44-year-old went on to claim that screening international games was a “duty” of the BBC, saying: “They (viewers) are legally forced to cough up more than £130 for the licence and at the very least they should get home internationals.”
Can’t stand football myself, but he has a point for those that do. Public Service Broadcasting and probably the most popular sport in the country, should go like hand & glove.
Very revealing article in this week’s Spectator by Jack Valero – The Beeb behaved like a Da Vinci Code villain.
Valera objected to the ‘fictitious’ portrayal of Opus Dei in Waking the Dead. His complaint culminated in Ofcom rejecting it as ‘frivolous’ because it was ‘fiction’.
“Ofcom cosidered that there were a number of indicators given to viewers that the programme was a fictional drama and was intended to be viewed in that context” we were told. After 18 months and a pile of documents of Da Vinci Code length and tedium, with nowhere left to appeal, our questions still hang in the air. Why is it OK for the BBC to misrepresent an innocent religious organisation? And who Ofcoms Ofcom?
http://www.spectator.co.uk/i//the-magazine/features/628806/the-beeb-behaved-like-a-da-vinci-code-villain.thtml
This corroborates the longtime complaints here about the way the BBC uses their dramas to peddle their political agenda – unconstrained by any facts.
Field Size: Oc course if the licence fee were scrapped, then the BBC could have a pay for view sports channel and compete head to head with Sky.
Question Time at it’s lowest point since the infamous 9/11 aftermath. Complete hatchet job from the so called ‘chair’ on Boris. Dave Dim interrupted B continuously and referred to B’s ‘piccaniny’ comments in 3 separate questions at the start. Tone of voice throughout QT, when addressing B, one of scorn and incredulity.Contrasted with later questions when K on difficult ground “what do you think Ken” (literally!), and a sort of mateyness when K put his hand up to the potential Gaff of the night by admitting the olympic bid merely a vehicle to “con” HMG (and the taxpayer) out of £billions to rejuvenate E London.(Sadly not properly picked up by anyone). Paddick & K open season on B, rarely allowing rebuttal.
Yes it’s bad for the blood pressure – but good to bring to attention of (a falling number)of those proud of Beeb’s ‘impartiality’.
“Ian Wright has branded the BBC a “load of rubbish” in another scathing rant at the corporation” – now, why am I suddenly thinking of pots and kettles?
Martin:
Field Size: Oc course if the licence fee were scrapped, then the BBC could have a pay for view sports channel and compete head to head with Sky.
Martin | 25.04.08 – 2:40 pm | #
Please…..don’t mention the “Competition” word, they don’t like it you know…well unless it’s competition backed up by our 3.5Bn… and well, they don’t actually you know…have to compete. It’s not “Social” and too close to “Capitalistic” to get really involved. Even though they hate Tesco, they can’t see just what an Elephant they are.
I think there is growing pressure on the politicians to do something about the BBC. With the switch to digital fast approaching, the excuse that it is not possible to manage who does and does not watch the BBC will be over.
I’m not sure the licence fee will last beyond the current extension.
From today’s Herald Sun – Andrew Bolt on Tim Flannery, the “environmental guru” from the BBC’s A Sunparched Country :
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23594184-5000117,00.html
Just watched a BBC world report about the London suicide killers last video, showing parts of the video in which he cuddles his baby and is heard telling her how much he loves her etc!
So, is the BBC line to make this evil killer seem more human? Is this selective video meant to educate us into thinking that these evil and souless killers are just like us and if only we gave in to their demands we could all live happily ever after?
If the BBC had any moral centre they would have shown the aftermath and the dead, blown apart like rags!
Does the BBC think that showing us a suicide killer cuddling his baby will soften our hearts and identify more with these evil maniacs?
If anything I hate the BBC more now!
Cass:
If anything I hate the BBC more now!
Is that possible?
.
There may be a positive effect, which the dumb beeboids haven’t imagined: after seeing this, more and more people will be repelled by this fascist and terrorist-loving organisation masquerading as a broadcaster. The more people hate the BBC, the sooner it will bite the dust.
The quicker the BBC is “exterminated” the better.
Last nights Newsnight had a cracker from Gavin “I love all commie’s” Esler.
He was giveing some Trade Union guy a hard time and said……” We’ve given you people shed loads of money, why aren’t you satisfied”…..
It occurs in the first 10 mins of the programme, quite early on.
Cassandra: Just watched a BBC world report about the London suicide killers last video, showing parts of the video in which he cuddles his baby and is heard telling her how much he loves her etc!
So, is the BBC line to make this evil killer seem more human? [SNIP]
If anything I hate the BBC more now!
This was prosecution evidence in the trial wasn’t it?
The prosecution used it to help prove that these guys were expecting to die. For me, seeing it certainly underlined the strength of the case against them.
I can see no bias here on the BBC’s part. In the UK charges still have to be proved by judicial process – though I get the impression that some contributors to these comments don’t see the need for this!
Which of these 2 titles do you think BBC 2’s ‘Newsnight’ leads with tonight:
either –
1.) “Islamic Jihad Beheading Techniques”
or –
2.) “Guantanamo Torture Techniques” ?
Too easy.
Any one cotton on to this report?
Straight down the line?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7362343.stm
A few points. Most of them in the BBC report.
US Congress stopped cotton subsidies for farmers a year or so ago.
Net result….
1. With domestic and European cotton consumption dropping and without subsidies the US farmers are switching to grow other crops, mainly food and bio fuels.
With all those BBC reports of food riots because of the price rises and shortages, growing more food is good yes?
Also growing renewable fuels is good yes?
The Greens were so keen on this couple of years ago.
It gets better…
With US production dropping, and subsidized US cotton farmers out of the picture the rest of the world is getting into cotton production big time more than offsetting drop in US production. In fact, world wide, more cotton is being grown year on year.
One slight snag increasing cotton production is falling behind increased demand.
Taken as a whole, not bad eh?
Apparently not….
“In India, the weaving industry is in crisis. In China, the textile sector is squeezed.
And, yet again, the root cause of their problems can be found in America. “
What pretentious drivel, Matt. We are perfectly aware how the judicial system works, and don’t need you to lecture us on it. The point, obviously lost on you, is that the BBC always goes out of its way to portray Islamo-Nazis as basically nice people. It does exactly the opposite where Israel is concerned.
Well, actually, no: this green was always dead against biofuels, which elementary logic tells you is a non-solution, like wind power.
So, from its own preview, BBC 2 TV ‘Newsnight’ tonight (10:30 pm) WILL analyse (impartially, as usual, of course):
” Guantanamo Torture Techniques:
“Tonight we bring you the first ever television interview with Lieutenant Colonel Diane Beaver. She was the lawyer who approved interrogation techniques for use on Guantanamo Bay prisoners that were new to the military and – many would say – both morally reprehensible and illegal under international law. Diane Beaver was acting with the higher authority of the Bush administration. She was a junior advocate and was under orders. So just how far up the ladder of the Bush administration did the buck stop? We take a look at the decisions which allowed sexual humiliation, sleep deprivation and waterboarding and hear how administration officials are now wide open to an international war crimes investigation…….. ”
BUT ‘Newsnight will NOT (impartially) analyse:
” Islamic Jihad Beheading Techniques “;
for information on the latter, suggest see:-
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
For Magdi Abdelhadi, Al Beeb’s ‘Arab Affairs analyst’, re- your uncritical ‘Mecca Time’ report. Check out this SCIENTIFIC criticism, and pass it on to your Arab chums. (I do resent having to subsidise you.):-
“And now Muslims want ‘Mecca Mean Time'” ( by ADRIAN MORGAN )
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/global.php?id=1387358
George R | 25.04.08 – 9:58 pm
They’ll first have to turn time back to the sixth century. Then they’ll manufacture special Mecca clocks with suicide bombs going off on the hour.
George,
Good link – I’ve used it over on my own site. Mecca Time indeed!
For BBC Radio 4, politically correct, ‘Woman’s Hour’ production team:-
” Hate behind the Niqab ”
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=118F9624-B318-4C86-AA6F-BBAC6D0289FA
Oh, god. It’s Guantanamo again, on Newsnight. Apparently it was just “George Bush [that] said that the Geneva Convention [sic] didn’t apply”.
No depth, no consideration that the Geneva Conventions (there are more than one!) specifically and deliberately do not apply to unlawful combatants. Just the snide implication and assumption that the Conventions do and should apply. No matter that the reason they don’t is to save civilians from suffering as well as saving lives of legitimate soldiers.
“both morally reprehensible and illegal under international law” – are these the same idiots who have decreed that Jewish villages in Judea and Samara are ‘illegal’, or are these the same ignorant tossers who decreed that the security fence is ‘illegal’? (on demonstrably fatuous grounds, both factually and legally).
Nrly Oxfrdn: Yes. It’s the same idiots.
No, it’s the same ignorant tossers.
I don’t know, I can’t answer the question. Is it the same tossers or the same idiots? I think we should be told!
Oh look we are going to have to import biofuels. Unfortunately we a running out of ships.Any word from the BBC?
Being located in New York I’ve been following closely the BBC’s coverage of the Sean Bell case. Bell died and his friends were injured after cops shot them as Bell attempted to run a cop down with his car. They were all convicted criminals and thugs with prior for firearms offenses and crack dealing.
The cops challenged them because they’d just gotten into a heated argument with an armed thug outside of a seedy strip joint in the wee hours, and they’d threatened to go get a gun of their own to settle the dispute. When a cop challenged them as they sat in the car, that’s when Bell drove his car straight into a cop. Another man in the car was seen reaching into his waistband and that’s when the cops started shooting.
Bearing this in mind, read the BBC’s coverage of the cop’s acquittal in court today. If you’d never heard anything about the case you’d be forgiven for thinking that these “evil” cops simply started shooting into a car which was innocently driving away from a club. No mention whatsoever is made of the fact that Bell had attempted to run the cop over.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7367198.stm
If you look through the “see also” links to the left, you will notice that the BBC has repeatedly misled and lied throughout their coverage of this case – in only one of the articles do they mention that Bell hit a cop with his car, and even then it lies by saying the cop was “hit in the shin”. In actual fact, the cop was thrown over the hood. 99% of the time the BBC omit any mention of the car hitting a cop at all and say that Bell merely hit an “unmarked police car”.
The outright lie they keep telling is that one of the shooters was white. In actual fact the cop they refer to, Mike Oliver, is of Lebanese/Syrian descent. The fact that he has a skin tone which is paler than the thugs who were shot is enough for the BBC to class him as “white” in order to pepper a story with racial overtones that just weren’t there. Shame on the Beeb, as usual.
Jason, thanks for the information. You know what I actually learned about the case from the media today? First, that the victim was black, and that he had been shot by police 50 times. Later I learned that two of the officers were black. I didn’t learn any of the background you’ve just given us. Maybe the race of a victim is all we need to know about him!
You’ve just given me more information than I learned from listening to the BBC today. Does that mean you are entitled to my share of that £3bn in funding?
I’ll get my chequebook.
You’d never guess which outcome of this vote the BBC would have preferred.
Thank you for that, Jason.
You’ve just proved what a bunch of liars the BBC has become.
Having only had the BBC’s reports to go on, I had absolutely no idea of the true story and had been left with a queasy sensation, having listened to the BBC’s rendition of the story .
No doubt exactly as intended.
Dimbleby accused of Question Time bullying and bias against Boris
He is regarded as the great impartial ringmaster.
But yesterday Question Time host David Dimbleby was accused of bullying and bias against Boris Johnson after he hosted a debate with the three main London mayoral candidates.
The BBC received a number of complaints that the veteran broadcaster appeared to give the Tory candidate “a harder time” a week before the mayoral poll.
Yesterday viewers vented their fury on the BBC messageboard.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=562175&in_page_id=1770
Let revisite a old story of the BBC;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7329637.stm
In this article the author suggest failure of the operation to rid Basra of the Mehdi army.
Now contrast that with the situation.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3671861.ece
You should read the article.
And even the UK ministry of Defence commented on the news reports that suggest failure.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/PeopleOfBasraoptimisticAsIraqiArmyTakeControlInTheCity.htm
So the BBC saw it wrong, but of course
there is now article to set things right.
Just checked the open thread to correct the breakfast-time BBC news: par for the BBC “impartial” course – 3 stories (NYC cop shooting, Dimbleby deabte, Mahdi army), 3 classic cases of BBC bias. What more needs to be said?
I am waiting for Alex to admit that Dimbleby was biased and behaved like a schoolyard bully, and that the BBC lied (never mind was biased) over the cop story.
Fat chance. He’ll find some terribly ‘clever’ way to duck it.
And Nick will be too much of a coward to even comment.
Weather report: NASA’s Argo program of 3000 monitoring stations, deployed worldwide and fully active, reports global cooling; details and links here:
http://tinyurl.com/4wy3tb
…yet another report that predictably hasn’t and won’t receive the prominence it deserves from BBC watermelons. Saint Algore is strangely silent, too.
Seems to this jaded American eye that the BBC’s weather propagandists have given you all another great big weapon. In good hands, their absurd crusade on behalf of Gaia and the warmists can be used directly against the BBC, to close ’em down or clean ’em up, en masse or one-by-one, your choice.
Problem: Where have Britain’s good hands gone? Somehow, I don’t think Dave is up to it.
“London mayoral candidate takes BBC and ITV to court over censorship”
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/14442
Nearly Oxfordian:
What pretentious drivel, Matt.
Why? Wasn’t the clip Cassandra complained about prosecution evidence? Didn’t it clearly support the claim that this man was expecting to die and thus the charge that he was a would-be suicide bomber?
Guilt has to be proved. If the evidence reveals some degree of sincere feeling in the accused, that’s just the complexity and tragedy of real life – we’re not living in a world of comic book villains and super heroes.
We are perfectly aware how the judicial system works, and don’t need you to lecture us on it.
My observation over some years (in which I’ve generally been critical of BBC bias) is that contributors to this site need constantly to be reminded of it.
The point, obviously lost on you, is that the BBC always goes out of its way to portray Islamo-Nazis as basically nice people. It does exactly the opposite where Israel is concerned.
The BBC, like the Guardian, has an inherent anti Israel, pro Palestinian stance – and if you look back over my contributions to this blog – certainly before David came along – you will generally find me agreeing with such criticisms – but not unfounded ones – and the BBC reporting of this particular case and the use of this prosecution evidence seemed to me fair and to represent sound news values And if you think that’s “pretentious drivel” I’m sorry – I think you ought get out a bit more.
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Jason | 26.04.08 – 12:57 am
Now isn’t this just typical BBC:
Sean Bell, 23, who was black…
Yes, we can see that. They’ve got the text right next to the photo of Bell and his girlfriend. BBC hacks are so intent on pushing their agenda (black victims, bad cops) that they can’t even do basic editing.
And they are obviously trying to create the impression that the police were white, otherwise why leave the fact that two of them were black till the very last line of the article? How many people stick with an article till the last line?
shot dead an unarmed man … as he left a strip club
Bullsh*t, BBC, Bell was armed with his car and almost succeeded in using it as a lethal weapon. The BBC has a funny idea of how he left the club.
Mr Bell and two friends were apparently trying to drive away from the Kalua club when the shooting occurred …
Well, at least BBC hacks can use the word apparently. But if they had any interest in informing us rather than telling us what to think they would have added to fetch a gun after club.
Mr Isnora….said he had followed the trio to their car because he believed they were going to carry out a drive-by shooting.
And why did he believe that? The BBC wont tell us, as if this was just officer Isnora’s opinion. But this was testimony from witnesses:
Witnesses overheard Bell exchange curses with another patron, and heard one of the passengers in the car, Joseph Guzman, who was also shot, say to someone, “Go get my gat,” slang for gun.
http://wcbstv.com/local/sean.bell.verdict.2.708321.html
And, from the same source, I’d like to see the BBC report this:
Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association, responded angrily to Sharpton’s suggestion that the verdicts were unfair.
“That’s despicable for him to say that because we have the greatest criminal justice system on earth,” he said.
Would never happen.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/192476.php
London mayoral candidate takes BBC, ITV to court over censorship
Cllr Craig, a long-standing campaigner against the ‘mega-mosque’, due to be built in Newham close to the site of the Olympic Games, originally described the organisation behind it, Tablighi Jamaat, as ‘separatist’.
However, BBC and ITV officials responsible for supervising the Broadcasts instructed him to moderate his views and change this description of the Islamic organisation if he wanted it aired.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/london.mayoral.candidate.takes.bbc.itv.to.court.over.censorship/18344.htm
Didn’t bother the BBC a few weeks ago:
Mr Craig, leader of the Christian People’s Alliance, says: “I love the East End’s diversity. Tablighi Jamaat preaches separatism by calling Muslims to separate themselves out from the local community.
“I don’t want that to happen here. It’s a highly secretive organisation and I am suspicious of its motives.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7299037.stm