Monthly Archives: July 2008

Quotes, ‘present’ and absent

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: several posts on this blog have remarked the BBC use of what some of my colleagues call ‘scare’ quotes to distinguish between left-wing experts and right-wing ‘experts’, right-wing terrorists and islamic ‘terrorists’ and so on (see examples here and here). An amusing story on BBC Ceefax yesterday (it may in time be less amusing for the baby girl involved, of course :-/) gave a classic example of not using quotes.

US Man gives birth to daughter

The story was that a woman who had had a ‘sex change’ operation (arguably a rather unsuccessful one even by the low standards of these things :-)) had acquired sperm from a sperm bank / anonymous donor and so given birth. The story seemed to give the facts clearly enough (I certainly have no criticism on that score): the woman was stated to have had her breasts amputated (and perhaps other cosmetic assistance towards presenting herself as a man in society) but had not been neutered, so her still being able to give birth was no surprise.

Now, I can quite see that from a professional journalist’s point of view, the headline

Woman gives birth to daughter

lacks something, but I found myself musing on why the headline was not

‘Man’ gives birth to daughter

and why the story used male pronouns throughout, always he, never ‘he’.

The story did indicate that she had, after the operation, managed to get herself legally registered as a man. ‘The law is an ass’ is a well-known quote and I should in fairness raise the abstract possibility whether the BBC might actually credit her with the ability to sue if not referred to as he, or (not quite so unlikely) be colourably able to pretend such concern. However it seems more likely that there were no quotes for the usual reason: if it suits the agenda, report it straight (or should I say ‘straight’ in this case :-)); if it does not, report it in quotes.

Whatever the reason, next time any of my colleagues wish to question the BBC’s use of quotes, this non-use will give them a demanding standard to judge by: most right wing ‘experts’ and islamic ‘terrorists’ are less deserving of quotes than was this ‘man’.

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TRUE CONFESSIONS

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. I was listening to the news headlines on BBC Radio 5 live this morning and caught the surreal headline that “Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister and former IRA commander Martin McGuinness is visiting Iraq on a peace mission.” Three thoughts;

Why does the BBC not enquire when Mr McGuinness LEFT the IRA?

Why does the BBC not enquire what atrocities the IRA committed when McGuinness was directly involved in commanding terrorism?”

Why does the BBC choose at times to highlight the terrorist pedigree f McGuinness and then at other times to demurely cover this up?>

It seems to me that the BBC gets a kick out of fawning of terrorists, be they Islamic or Irish.

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TAKING THE AXE TO THE BBC.

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I hope you all have read this excellent article by Antony Jay explaining why the BBC must be broken up. I particularly enjoyed this section….

“The BBC spends more than £4 billion-a-year – far more than we spend on prisons. Yet because of the lack of real commercial pressures, it squanders far too much on bureaucracy, inefficiencies, policy centres and endless tiers of self-serving management.

Further signs of corporate arrogance can be seen in the BBC’s navel-gazing, with its dreary debates about its Charter, its fee, its purpose and its direction. An effective broadcasting outfit would be spending less time on mass introspection and more on making programmes.
Equally irritating is the BBC’s determination to promote a liberal-Left ethos, shown in its obsessions with climate change or multi-culturalism.

As the BBC director Dr Samir Shah said recently, the Corporation’s neurosis about diversity means there are now disproportionate numbers of ethnic minorities on our BBC screens.
So the BBC cannot go on as it is. Reform has to involve a drastic reduction in its operations and bureaucracy, a willingness to face up to technological realities of the modern world and an abandonment of corporate imperialism.”

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THE FROG AND THE SCORPION.

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The delight with which the BBC have been trailing the acquired scalp of Boris Johnsons’ Deputy Mayor, Ray Lewis, following his resignation last night has been a wonder to behold. There has been a positive glee in the tone and depth of the coverage adopted which should make Cameron recall the fable of the frog and the scorpion. Destroying anything and anyone right of liberal is what the BBC does. Cameron can expect much more of this from the State Broadcaster and I do not envy Boris Johnson his time ahead. There is no way the BBC can be reformed because it is institutionally politicised and corrupted by left-wing values which is why it will continually provide a free pass to the likes of Peter Hain, Mick Martin, Yvette Cooper et al whilst excoriating the likes of Lewis. We often talk about the degree of BBC bias here but I would suggest that the BBC is not just biased – it has become a threat.

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Just Asking…

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Why is the article about accepting a role for Sharia in UK law given more prominence (with picture) on the BBC World News page than on the BBC UK page (where there is no picture, and it appears in the “other top stories” section. Oh, and the main story is something or other about a badger cull)?

Update: Great link here from George R for those who wish to explore further. Looks like one to bookmark.

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Only on Today …

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Written an amusing pamphlet comparing the United States government and its foreign policy choices with those facing the Corleone mafia clan from 1972 gangster classic The Godfather ?

“… the ageing Don, Vito Corleone – emblematic of a declining hegemony …”

“… when he’s shot at the fruit-stand this is in many ways a parallel to what happened to the United States on September the 11th …”

Take 10 minutes of primetime breakfast listening.

You couldn’t make it up.

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A BIASED BBC ANNOUNCEMENT.

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It’s not so long ago that I put up a post asking for your favourite/most infamous example of BBC bias. The response was excellent and prolific and inspired an idea that I now wish to share with you.

It is our intention to publish a book which details in glorious technicolour the BBC bias we talk about here on a daily basis. Provisionally entitled “The Little Book of BBC Bias” the aim is to take twelve killer topics and demonstrate in an authoritative, detailed and excoriating manner the bias the BBC exudes. YOU will have a role to play in this since many of the best observations of BBC bias come from your side of things rather than from your humble correspondent. I will detail shortly how you can do this – and we will organise around each key topic. The book will allow us to get the topic of BBC bias to a wider audience, raise the profile of Biased BBC, and further the entire debate.

We have been working in the background on the mechanics of this exciting project and there are two challenges we have to face. The first is cost, the second quality content. We want this to be a well presented and well written book with a definitive take on the BBC. The archives of this site, combined with your own detailed referenced suggestions, and a sprinkle of some of my own thoughts, will deliver the content. The cost is the other issue! To complete the project – which we have costed – we need to raise 5k. I will shortly publish a PAYPAL contribution button for you to use on this site if you wish. I will also provide details as to how cheques for the project can be sent. I hope you think this is an evolution worth supporting since it will bring the best of this site into the published form and open up a new front on the BBC. I hope you are enthused by this project and look forward to your thoughts to follow. We ARE going to do this – hope you can be part of the team in nailing BBC bias in ALL it’s awful detail! I look forward to the BBC reviewing our book.

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The fightback continues… against Boris

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The BBC is leading the way in blunting the Conservatives’ revival with this special coverage of… well, what exactly about Ray Lewis? Headlined “Mayor’s aide in sex claims enquiry” it’s never clear what the sex claims are in fact. The article is filled with something else on the financial side apparently pursued by the oh-so-upright Church of England back in the 90’s. It’s basically a mess of conflation. The usual suspects, the rat pack of journos, can be heard on the BBC’s televised clip from Deputy Mayor Ray’s press conference- Jon Snow et al getting very snooty indeed. Boris is getting a going-over and the BBC is desperate to be in the vanguard.

I didn’t notice this level of zeal, or even any interest at all, in the case against Lee Jasper.

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ARISE SIR KEITH?

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Did you pick up on the BBC’s coverage of Labour MP Keith Vaz having received a letter from Geoff Hoon assuring him he would be “appropriately rewarded” for his efforts to help secure the Government victory on the recent 42 day detention. Perish the thought of sleaze, dismiss the idea of corruption. This is all “light-hearted” and “a joke” apparently and the BBC faithfully retail this. If it was a Conservative, do you think the same jokey lines would be let pass?

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THAT DAVIS HATE FIGURE

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. Don’t know if you saw the BBC report on the 10 0’Clock news on the by-election caused by David Davis resigning on the 42 day detention charge issue. It was a complete stitch-up with the BBC reporter determined to convey the impression that the whole thing is a bit mad, eccentric and not of real interest to the local voters. Even when David Cameron turned up to support David Davis today, the BBC were there to suggest disharmony between the two men. I don’t know what Davis thought of this just broadcast coverage but it felt to me like a polished knife being stuck into his campaign to highlight the assault on our liberty led by Zanulabour and apologised for by the miserable BBC.

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