I was wondering if you have a special moment that embodies BBC bias? I have three that I wanted to share. The first was the absolutely depraved Question Time programme that followed the 9/11 slaughter. I’ll never forget the baying of that anti-American rabble in the audience even as the dead lay burning in the mangled debris of the twin towers. As most of us remained stunned as to what had happened the BBC’s biased audience showed its true colours. Then I recall the BBC’s coverage of the 1998 referendum on the Good Friday Agreement here in Northern Ireland and the broad smiles and backslapping from the news reporters when it became clear that the establishment side had won the day. All notion of impartiality was discarded on that infamous day. Finally, I recall Barbara Plett’s words as she recalled her impressions of Yasser Arafat”When the helicopter carrying the frail old man rose above his ruined compound, I started to cry.” Quite – weeping over the imminent demise of an aids-raddled mass murderer, the BBC incarnate. So, what were your defining moments?
WORST BBC MOMENT?
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Those are good examples. But mine would be (and it ties in well with the thread about Gitmo stated this morning) the absolute look of pure glee on the face of the female newsdroid as she announced as the top headline that one of the ‘innocent’ Gitmo “British” inmates “had been released and was flying back to Britain”.
That said it all for me. You could almost hear the rest of the country thinking “so what?”
For me, it was June 1982. Some BBC shit was talking to the camera in Beirut, and ranting about Israel’s unprovoked attack on the innocent Lebanese. This proved to me 2 things:
Al Beeb has no concept of the distinction between reporting and editorial comment.
It is antisemitic.
During the Beslan seige while the terrorists were shooting the children the bbc commentator said the gunmen are mercifully shooting the children in the backs of the legs to stop them escaping, if you can say a word such as merciful at a time like this – but you did bitch
For me, the moment when the BBC edited footage of the miner’s strike to make it look like they attacked the police. It was a crucial moment during the assault on the unions and helped Thatcher to establish her corporate state. An utter disgrace.
Unfortunately, spoilt for choice.
Here’s Hugh Fitzgerald, re: Plett/ Doucet, etc.:-
“Clean out the BBC”
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/11670
For me a low point that actually changed my political viewpoint and my attitude to the BBC was hearing the vile Jeremy Hardy making a joke about the September 11 massacre on Radio 4’s NEWSQUIZ within a couple of weeks of the event , to the obvious amusement of the Chairman, panel, and audience. I realised at that moment that what I had taken for satire during the Conservative years was actually trotskiite propaganda from SWP-type agit-prop types masquerading as satire.
Hmmm. How about the re-editing of the documentary about the Queen? Or the Blue Peter piece about the humane way a live goat had its throat cut, thanks to the Religion of Peace?
How about that three part docu series, devoted to proving black is white:
In that the Islamo-fascists (like al-kayda) out to cause mass murder is just a fevered figment of our collective imagination.
More dumb crap from the screeching dumb Troll.
I suppose you do object to the fact that the murdering scum who murdered a taxi driver during the strike were not sentenced to life imprisonment? No, I didn’t think so, dumb tosser.
Soon after 9/11 on R4 Today programme, on the distasteful ‘thought for the day’ the woman speaking, can’t remember her name, said, referring to the attack on the Trade Centre, something to the effect that it showed how much the attackers cared about their religion insinuating it was admirable. I turned off the radio and left it off for a few weeks.
Every day there is some blatant bias. Two days ago on BBC News 24 the presenter/newsreader on an item about the new maoist government in Nepal getting rid of the monarchy and telling the king to leave the palace within 14 days said ‘and here’s our correspondent in Nepal to tell you the good news’ grinning widely; and beamed again at that item when she did the summary of the news.
The episode of Balamory where the children went on their annual treat to ……. a mosque.
For me,the most telling moment was a little cameo in Robin Aitken’s book.
Previously, I had often wondered whether BBC bias was led and orchestrated from the top – or just the unconscious by product of recruiting exclusively from the Grauniad and making little effort to enforce the impartiality clause in the charter.
Aitken reported raising the issue in a meeting with the then DG – Labour supporter/donor/ex-candidate (but still “impartial”) Greg Dyke.
Dyke predictably brushed the issue aside, but as he left the room, Aitken overhead him remark to a sidekick:-
“Who was that fucker?..”
Says it all really………..
Dozens of examples of extreme BBC bias immediately jostle for top position in my mind and there would be hundreds if I sat down and made a list but I think I’ll have to go with Barbara Plett. It wasn’t simply that she wept for the foul old murderer, but that she felt comfortable enough nestling in her BBC cocoon of pro-Palestinian bias to reveal that she had wept for him without fear of the consequences of such a revelation, or most likely not even thinking that there would be any consequences. The BBC’s reaction was conclusive proof of its gross anti-Israel bias. Typically, it warded off complaints about Plett, passing the complaints buck until it arrived on the desk of the governors, who only partially upheld it. And instead of firing Plett on the spot, the BBC rallied sympathetically around her in the form of Helen Boaden, who said it appeared that Plett “unintentionally gave the impression of over-identifying with Yasser Arafat and his cause.” What a bullsh*t, convoluted excuse for plain bias:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4471494.stm
And the BBC has the cheek to hide this story by filing it under ‘Entertainment’. I suppose they found it entertaining that someone complained about the bias.
(Plett’s original article is at the link at top right, for those with strong stomachs.)
For some time now, the weepy Plett has been reporting from Pakistan, no doubt happy to be among millions of her fellow Israel-haters. I imagine her superiors called her in for a meeting and gently told her that they thought it best that she report from somewhere other than Israel, and asked her where she would like to go.
Has to be when they tried to airbrush the Countryside Alliance ‘Liberty and Livelehood ‘ march from our screens and radios. The largest protest by the people of this country by far and the beeboids try not to report it !
Strangely enough, the question ‘Do you believe the bbc needs to be reformed’? is generally the second question a parliamentry candidate in rural districts is now asked !
The worst thing about BBC is the continuous daily left wing bias that basically brain washes million around the world to believe in the way the BBC wants is one of the biggest crimes on earth. It is in reality ‘Big Brother’ and the outcome of this BBC bias is yet to be unfolded. I believe it will result in a calamity somewhere as BBC bias reaches every part of the globe.
I think the coverage of the Falklands war by the BBC and its betrayal of the amred forces is a big one for me.
Also the coverage of the British forces in Iraq generally.
I’d also agree with those who’ve posted the other stuff above (9/11 QT in particular was a low point for the BBC)
Could also add their lack of spine over Gilligan.
How about that silly Earth day concert?
Jesus, the list just goes on and on.
Not the worst, but a good example was about a year ago when BBC radio broadcast 3 interviews in as many days with Ghadaffi, Jimmy Carter and Jon Boulton. Only one of them was treated with venom, the other 2 were fawned over in classic radio 4 “turd-polishing” style. I’ll leave it to you to guess which was the odd one out…
For me it would be the “Don’t Panic I’m Islamic” taqiya.
Jack Hughes:
The episode of Balamory where the children went on their annual treat to ……. a mosque.
Jack Hughes | 31.05.08 – 11:32 am | #
Maybe next year they’re going to Guantanamo Bay for their annual treat?
Balamory Rendition.
Perhaps we could sent the whole production team for the Toady show and Radio 5 off to Gitmo for a ‘holiday’
The coverage of the Greenham wimmins camp anniversary was pretty good. Apparently they brought about the end of the Cold War and the destruction of the evil American empire.
So many examples but the main problem is that for the most part it is insidious, it’s a slow drip, drip, drip which many don’t even notice. The anti-West, anti-US, anti-Israel, anti-conservatism (with a small and large c/C), pro-Islam, pro anyone who is anti-US, pro-Palestinian and pro-liberalism/socialism coverage is always there.
White season.
Only managing to find non-working members of the working class.
Yes we are invisible,espcially to the myopic bbc.
Come to think of it. how about the Beeb’s output since Boris won London and the Nantwich by-election? Grief-stricken navel-gazing – where has Labour gone wrong? What can be done? How can Labour fight back?
But my ultimate Beeb bias moment is, of course, James Naughtie to Ed Balls: “When we win the elction…”
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observer/archives/2005/03/02/come_again_once_more_with_feeling.html
Chuffer, great stuff, but Naughtie has stiff competition from Jane Garvey and her “empty champagne bottles” as linked to in the sidebar of this blog.
This is indeed a difficult one, as there are such good pickings, but underlying most of the criticism of the BBC is the socialist mind set. And today great joy, as I read one story in the Irish press that the socialists in France are crying out about an annullment in Paris between a muslim couple. Could this be the beginning of the socialists waking up to smell the coffee, will Galloway criticise this judgement? Bet not!! No sign of it on the BBC – Quelle surprise- and I’m waiting, to see how they will treat this story. If the Irish Times is to be believed, and the outcry as bad as it reports then I’d like to reserve judgement to see how this is handled by the bbc for second place as the second worst moment. It could be their second worst moment is yet to come:
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0531/1212156448875.html
But the worst was definitely 9/11 QT audience .
Chuffer: See my post about a female Beeboid last night on News24 talking to political commentator Michael Brown. Brown was talking about McBean’s utter failures and that he needs to listen and learn.
Female Beeboids says “lets hope so”
No bias there then.
To me it is the continued use of British in British Broadcasting Corporation.
white season was unbelievable. an utter disgrace.
the election coverage recently when not a single tory was interviewed.
however the other night when newsnight had a ‘debate’ on population control and allowed the one child policy to be praised, i just blew. i am so fed up with it.
i look forward to newsnight praising hitlers race purity laws, calling it a success and asking if it should be reintroduced to help stop lesser races body poverty
The defining moment for me was the BBC coverage of the last US presidential election. I’m assuming the World News broadcast that was shown on PBS over here is the same thing seen in the UK.
I’ve mentioned this before, actually. It may not have been the worst moment of BBC bias, but for me it was the final straw, and I came away convinced that there was a problem at the Corporation.
As it became clearer that Bush was going to win – again! – the presenter’s (I’m pretty sure it was Peter Snow’s) face became longer and longer. His posture changed, and so did the tone of his voice as the evening went on. By the time it was obvious that Bush had won, it felt like I was watching a sports announcer calling a tragic loss for the home team.
The dark mood of the studio was palpable, and they made it quite clear that this was a disappointing result. It doesn’t matter which candidate I preferred at the time, or that I personally celebrated when Kerry lost. My attitude and behavior as a private citizen is not in any way related to the partisan whining of a supposedly impartial, taxpayer-funded, official broadcaster of a sovereign nation and the most important ally of the US. No matter what my personal politics are, it was highly unprofessional, and that was the end of any trust I had in BBC News. I think it was around that time that I found this site.
Tbe downplaying of the Chris Donald murder.
A truly horrific crime, downplayed simply because the murdered boy was the ‘wrong’ colour.
Like Korova my turning point was the miners’ strike. Having relatives who were miners and mining engineers I had a direct insight into the miners’ mindset at the time. The vast majority of them did not want to strike. Yet the BBC made out that the strike had solid support in Yorkshire and South Wales and that was obviously untrue.
Then there was Arthur Scarfill constantly on screen complaining that he was never given the opportunity to speak! This was countered by an obviously upset BBC regional manager who said ‘But Arthur, we gave you more airtime than all the others’ – that’s pro and anti, mind.
It was also the lack of reporting of the beatings & rapes handed out to ‘scabs’ and their familiies. The attacks on children. The blackmail and intimidation of local businesses into giving aid to ‘the cause’.
And that’s before you come to the partial reporting of the Orgrieve violence.
Korova is right the bBC were (and still are) biased about the miners’ strike.
That is of course Scargill, not Scarfill.
I prefer Scarfill Is he dead yet?
The Cattle Prod of Destiny:
Like Korova my turning point was the miners’ strike. Having relatives who were miners and mining engineers I had a direct insight into the miners’ mindset at the time. The vast majority of them did not want to strike. Yet the BBC made out that the strike had solid support in Yorkshire and South Wales and that was obviously untrue.
————————————————
That bias manifested itself in other ways at the time too. I grew up in an area (Notts/Derbyshire) that HAD formerly been a mining area. My family had been miners until 1965. I knew a lot of mining families that were still in that line of work (mainly Yorkshire).
And without fail, the paterfamilias said “I don’t care what my son does, he’s not going down the pit like I did”.
Everytime, without fail.
Contrast that with the men interviewed on the Beeb, the striking miners. They always, but always, said stuff like “if this pit closes, my sons will have no jobs to go to”. A stark contrast to my own experience…
The BBC: Highly selective is our motto.
Martin:
Chuffer: See my post about a female Beeboid last night on News24 talking to political commentator Michael Brown. Brown was talking about McBean’s utter failures and that he needs to listen and learn.
Female Beeboids says “lets hope so”
No bias there then.
Martin | 31.05.08 – 1:32 pm | #
Is it possible to watch this moment again anywhere?
worst moment for me was after the Hutton inquiry and the labour government were saying the bbc should concentrate on reporting the news and wildlife programs only, and it never happened, they got the charter for a few more years
dont cap the licence fee, scrap it
So many moments……
so little time.
Korova
For what it is worth which is very little because I think you are in that state called invincible ignorance. But I was a teacher in a part of the West Midlands where the miners did not strike. I well remember some of my pupils telling me that their younger siblings, still at primary school, had been stoned by gangs of Welsh miners at the end of the school day.
the recent new hampshire primary where. the retarded colin murray asked simon mayo to attach bill orielly. ashe was biased!!!. i complained and recieved an apology.
For me, it was the egregious “Robin Hood” who recently minced about our screens. This program was full of subliminal as well as blatant re-interpretation of another age in the interests of today’s PC bovine droppings. The classic was the oh-so capable Islamic female warrior – how typical of that religion, how enlightened it was compared with the poor slobs of Christendom.
Listening to Jenni Murray interviewing Winnie Mandela. over 10 years ago.
My memory is imperfect, but i remember Ms Murray asking if it was right to put burning tyres around people’s necks. Winnie was being interviewed as a heroine who had to make some difficult choices. She was , of course, a psychopath.
Sleazemonger’s memory has not failed him. I heard that disgraceful interview, too.
On the day Blair was questioned by thre police over the cash for peerages scam Newsnights lead item was a months old e-mail in which an unknown Tory councillor insulted an unknown socialist concellor.
After the mayorial election the beeb could not decide to protray Boris as a bungling toff or as somebody who would destroy the tories by challenging Cameron.
For me, the BBC’s coverage of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war marks the lowest point in recent history. Barely any attempt was made by those reporting the war to conceal their true sympathies, and in fact the BBC arguably took a more pro-Hezbollah line than the Arab news networks themselves.
chuffer: I doubt it. Unless someone had it recorded or it’s on iplayer, but I doubt it.
Fact is the Beeboids make these slips all the time. Radio 5 is a good source of them.
Vicki Derbyshite is brilliant. “Crime is falling” she tells us, “the Government wouldn’t lie about it”
A classic.
For me, the moment when the BBC edited footage of the miner’s strike to make it look like they attacked the police. It was a crucial moment during the assault on the unions and helped Thatcher to establish her corporate state. An utter disgrace.
Korova | 31.05.08 – 9:58 am |
You weren’t there you scumbag. I was.
I actually appeared on the BBC news several times. On one of them, at Brookhouse, we were attacked by miners and the SWP who were throwing coins were they had ground down the edges. Also potatoes with razor blades stuck in them.
The BBC edited it so that it appeared that we were attacking the miners.
The film of this was provided to the BBC by a communist outfit called ‘Sheffield Police Watch’ who would appear on the picket lines with Scargill’s approval and attack the Police. they would then film the after effects.
Myself and 4 colleagues were attacked at Armthorpe by about 250 miners. It was a pretty tough time. I was lucky, all I got was a broken nose and a few cuts.
Then at Cortonwood we found they’d dug pits and covered them over with hessian and grass. In the pits they’d stuck shards of broken glass. We also managed to get hold of the molotov cocktails before they had a chance to use them.
Near Treeton where they’d poured diesel on the hill, they used industrial bolt guns on the sides of the Transt vans, thankfully nobody was injured.
All in all I spent 7 months on the Miners strike. I can echo what Gordon | 31.05.08 – 5:18 pm | said.
The violence and intimidation against those that did not want to strike was appalling.
I had to tell friends who saw it on the TV that the BBC had skewed virtually all of the coverage to show us in a bad light.
Their coverage was about as balanced as it was in the 2 Gulf Wars.
I’m not often given to swearing, but Korova why don’t you fuck off and take your filthy communist lies with you.
The Cattle Prod of Destiny | 31.05.08 – 4:30 pm |
I was at both Orgreave battles. Orgreave was not a mine it was a coking depot.
They came for a fight and they got it.
Scargill’s communists thought that they could overthrow the government just as they did in the early 70s. What a shock they got.
Remember who financed them. The Soviet Union and Libya.
Once at Armthorpe I overheard two young pickets discussing a fight that they’d started at Leeds football ground. In the next breath they’re discussing their forthcoming trip to Moscow University.
And all the time Joan Bakewell and the BBC were putting money in to the miner’s buckets.
Hey TPO — kudos brother.
My defining moment of BBC mendacity was in September 1983, the night that the Soviet Union murdered all the passengers on Korean Airline Flight 007.
The (fairly new) Newsnight programme tried to suggest that the flight may have been part of a co-ordinated spy mission on behalf of the United States in conjuction with a ‘secret’ Shuttle mission that was taking place
The BBC thought it ‘secret’ because it was the first night launch and night landing for a shuttle.