General BBC-related comment thread! 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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mikewineliberal | 16.11.08 – 12:50 pm
your talking rubbish as usual.
George R: Lyse Doucet should be asked for a comment about the “human side of the Taliban” every time this sort of thing happens.
And (Shug N’s post, above) about the names of the child-killers: they’ve already BEEN convicted, so what’s the grounds for their receiving anonymity?
sorry if old.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5162494.ece?
The BBC is failing to prosecute viewers who refuse to pay the television licence on principle amid claims that the corporation fears creating a wave of “martyrs”.
The band of licence-fee refuseniks include Vladimir Bukovsky, a former Russian dissident, Noel Edmonds, the television presenter, and Euro-sceptics who believe the BBC is politically biased.
Charles Moore, a columnist for The Spectator magazine, has said he will not renew his TV licence if the corporation continues to employ Jonathan Ross, the disgraced chat show host who is paid £6m a year.
The BBC’s approach to such viewers contrasts with the “bully-boy” tactics it employs to force others to pay the £139.50 annual levy. Some people have received more than 80 warning letters, threatening prosecution and a maximum £1,000 fine, even though they have paid or do not own a television.
Convention thinking?
For the last few days I have been reading and watching such as the BBC dutifully trot out, much as they did the ‘bad form on a boat’, the odd notion that there is a ‘convention’ that certain things are ‘not done’.
Such as mentioning, by way of some balance to the ‘nothing to see here, and if there was it’s all O….k’ mantras (issued by the government and parroted from press release by ‘journalists’ and ‘editors’ who are clearly too busy with budget cuts to worry about ‘reporting’ facts) all sides of the argument, possibly including non-partisan notions from those involved who might understand economics and care about country before career.
I knew the politico-media establishment was an old-boys (and young Blair/Brown babes) inter-marrying club, and I now know it is about as corrupt as it’s possible to get, but it astounds me that the level of in-breeding has led to such arrogance as to presume that their stupid attempts at fobbing the public with such blatant and irrelevant distractions to the evidence of our own eyes is going to work. It’s either a fact or not. It’s either what is or isn’t. It is either right or wrong. It’s either parliamentary process or it isn’t. Not some school playground ‘thing’ that gets conjured up when one party says so… especially as it is most likely dropped like a hot potato when they are on the wrong end of the logic subsequently.
Maybe it’s just like the last days of the Reich and those in denial are simply partying like it’s 1945 in the Bunkers. Or they know something we don’t about how getting the ‘right’ vote result can and will be engineered.
Maybe the plan is to add a few more million ‘lesson-learning’ Civil servants, quango-crats and BBC researchers/commissioning editors to the payroll to ensure that if obvious questions do get asked, and essential statements do get made, no one who needs to know outside the bubble actually gets to hear them raised. Or if they do, the author’s credibility is first ‘shaped’ to put anything they do say in a special kind of ‘context’.
It’s one thing to be sold down the river. But it’s insult to injury to be funding through tax or fee the acceleration to the rapids (instead of investing in lifebelts) by adding more opinion-heavy, over-influential dead-weights as ballast, to make the productive population’s efforts at paddling against the tide even more difficult.
Lurker in a Burqua | 16.11.08 – 12:25 pm |
sorry just spotted your post.
guido’s never forgiven the bbc after they let michael white man-shame him on newsnight.
mikewineliberal | 16.11.08 – 12:50 pm | #
And this is relevant to the issue of known facts regarding the competence and objectivity of a £3.5B, publically-funded, propaganda tool how, exactly? Minds being read can be entertaining, but seldom of much value.
If Guido is incorrect, please show how, and where, with links. And not off on some distracting troll-race to another topic if this doesn’t suit.
Newsnight has ceased to have any credibility as a news outlet, either in its ability to report or comment, accurately, sensibly (even down to spelling) or without agenda.
I, and others, have reminded them over the period of a few days on their blog that their caption regarding Peter M ‘winning’ Parliamentarian of the Year’ is incorrect, and after this will pop over to see if they have yet managed to adjust wishful thinking to accurate representation.
Something I view more seriously than petty posturing on ‘man shaming’, though I could see how this serves some folks’ interests better at the moment.
Sorry if this has been spotted already.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7727177.stm
BBC correspondent embedded with Hamas terrorist rocket launchers, and down their tunnels.
Apparently, the Palestinians are ready to start fighting the Israelis again because of the ‘blockade.’ They thought the ‘blockade’ would stop during a ceasefire.
NO MENTION of the rockets still being launched against Israel, despite the fact that the ‘correspondent’ actually saw a rocket launching site.
And today:-
“An Israeli air strike has killed four Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip, officials have said.
The Israeli military said the strike, east of Gaza City, had targeted gunmen preparing to fire rockets at Israel.
It came as the Israeli cabinet met on Sunday to discuss the FRAGILE FIVE-MONTH-OLD CEASEFIRE (my capitals) and whether to lift a blockade on the territory.”
No comment about a ceasefire where rockets are continuing to be launched.
This is how the BBC reports- Can you imagine a BBC reporter embedded in Germany during WWII?
“Here I am in Peenemuende, where rockets are being launched against England- The German military tell me they are very upset that England has not surrendered yet, and that this will bring the British to their knees. This is your BBC correspondent, with the Wehrmacht bringing you the news.”
And I pay for this?????????
mikewhineliberal, glad to see you’ve recovered from your big sulk after you were considering leaving us, because your redundant marxist views weren’t being taken seriously enough.
But what are you doing here on a Sunday? Shouldn’t you be in the high street handing out copies of the ‘Socialist Worker’ with the rest of the middle aged math’s teachers?
Littlejohn attacks the public sector:-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1085232/For-years-fun-absurd-gold-plated-public-sector-jobs-Guardian-As-unemployment-REAL-world-heads-3m-Littlejohns-patience-runs-out.html
The last entry in the comments section is pure hilarity.
Barry Chubb’s Sister – i’m willing to discuss your problems in a dimly lit, comfortable room, with maestro Barry White crooning in the background and perhaps a little err.. lubrication such as a fine pinot noir.
Richard Lancaster
You rally are naive in the extreme. Have you ever tried to make a complaint about the BBC?
I have, more than once. The most interesting case was about the Today programme when I could still bear to listen, several years ago, but it was undeniable. The presenter was talking to a Labour MP (I would say interviewing, but that implies a level of probing not shown when the BBC talk to Labour). The MP claimed that people should vote Labour because the Conservatives were selfish. Not only did the presenter clearly indicate agreement that Conservatives were selfish, but his attempt at balance was to claim that the LibDems were not, implying people could vote for them.
Oh, and if you think I misinterpreted, how do you argue that “Yes, but the Liberal Democrats aren’t” is not biased, when answering a claim that Conservatives are selfish (with no attempt to justify that assertion)?
I complained. I never received any reply at all.
Naive, Lancaster.
I note the BBC hasn’t deigned to pick-up the Mail’s story about the former Labour activist who spied for the Communists before fleeing to Czechoslovakia. Nor (which is rather more the the point) the number of Labour bigwigs who seem to have been rather close to the traitor.
Here is a BBC masterpiece, about a Labour MP who has tattooed her majority and a red rose on her foot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7693834.stm
This is basically a free party political advert for the Labour party masquerading under the guise of “umin intrest”
never let it be said that thew BBC doesn’t know who its friends are.
I still say Ross must go
whats worrying is, at this time on a sunday sfternoon, beeboids that are engaged in gay gang bangs and bdsm whilst under the influence of cocaine
be afraid of the left
very afraid
Having thrown up my breakfast by stupidly misplacing the fat controller and watching the shite that masquerades as The Andrew Twat show I’ve spent the day happily blogging and tidying up my house – no news there campers.
However, I’ve had Radio 3 on all day and it’s been an absolute treat and at the princely sum of .0005% of the telly tax. Last night’s BBC telly was a bloody joke – it was pathetic in the extreme.
kill the beeb – only a fool would construe anything i’ve ever said as being marxist. your earlier comment -“can anyone name a charity that is of any use” – does rather put you in that camp.
GCooper,
I picked up a report about this AM on my way to work, they seem to be having a good giggle and snigger about it all, it was all a bit of fun and the reality that she was guilty of TREASON wasnt thought fit to mention!
The interviewee, a relation I think used the same old tired cannard about how these vile traitors only betrayed their own country because they were ‘worried’ about Nazi Germany, forgetting of course that the USSR were trading partners and sanction busting chums of the Nazis from the start and the Nazs were destroyed in 45 while most of the treason took place AFTER 45! The other pathetic excuse was that the Foreign Office was full of English snobs, Ooh so that explains it then! If someones snooty to you just betray your country and all will be well!
The giggling and smirking and how lightly taken it all was made me furious to say the least, if there were any justice all the traitors found would be dragged through the streets in chains as people threw rotten fruit and shit at them and then they would be hanged in Parliament square and left there to rot as an example to others!
The BBC seems to think that treason is funny and harmless.
If there were any justice all the traitors found would be dragged through the streets in chains as people threw rotten fruit and shit at them and then they would be hanged in Parliament square and left there to rot as an example to others!
Cassandra, have you ever given serious thought to working out why what you describe, very rarely if ever happens?
Please understand this to be at least a possibility, that applies to the majority of what we would see as treasonous acts.
These people are almost always DOUBLE AGENTS working for the British or World Establishment. Therefore dragging them through streets or hanging them, could seriously affect SS moral.
But you can be sure the BBC will help create advertising that puts the fear of Fascist hell up you, if for some unfortunate reason you cant afford to pay your TV Tax, whenever it wises to.
archduke | 16.11.08 – 11:28 am |- you would never hear anything like this not even by Littlejohn – John BARNCASTLE who wrote the piece does not sound very Russian though, but what he says is very apt to the state of Britain today and to think that Pravda used to be essential reading for Labour ministers.
I suggest that the site holder flags up the latest blog on the BBC’s Editors `blogs, the anti-Israeli article is amazing.
Oops here is the link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/11/offlimits.html
I must admit that I did find part of the article funny: the part where the idiotic editor actually describes his reporters of being so brave to have entered Mugabe land !!!
you’re going to need a very strong stomach for this…
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/73228/Baby-P-Hidden-Horror-Revealed.html
that is the reality of New Labour Britain, in 2008…
Fulton:
Just looking at Jon Williams face on his blog is enough to put me off. If he stood outside a children’s playground with an expression like that, he’d be arrested.
Why do the dog ugly BBC journalists insist on putting their in-bred uneasey-on-the-eye fizogs at the top of their blogs, but not at the top of their reports?
I got as far as his opening gambit on that blog before puking my guts up:-
“There are few places in the world where the BBC is not welcome.”
What’s the word ‘not’ doing in that sentence? Remove it Jon you baldy fekker and your sentence will make sense.
From the above link:
In the past, the Israeli government has accused the media of being manipulated by Hamas – on one occasion, claiming that images of children holding candles were actually taken in broad daylight, in a room darkened by drawn curtains.
Those dirty lying Jews, uh, I mean Zionists, and their mad photoshop skillz!
The BBC has gone from appeasement to actively supporting terrorists – the BBC has a history going back 70 years of pandering to dictators.
” Mr. Churchill was doing everything possible to warn and save his country and the world from Adolf Hitler. Britain almost lost World War ii. The world came dangerously close to being slaughtered and enslaved by Nazi Germany.
A Churchill biographer, Henry Pelling, wrote that “the bbc had kept him off the air on controversial questions in the 1930s.” Those “controversial questions” included his strongest warnings about the dangers of Nazi Germany! ”
” Such a colossal and dangerous blunder should have brought the most profound change to the bbc! But the left-wing media have a very poor memory of their own wretched history. Have they learned anything from this extremely damaging history?
Did the bbc repent of this monstrous crime against its own country and much of the world? No, it did not. Its reporting is even more biased and dangerous today! ”
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=1174
Just Journalism’s quarterly review is out. http://tinyurl.com/Just-Journalism
BBC emerges a ‘winner’ yet again.
• There were nearly three times as many authored articles on the BBC News website portraying Israel negatively than positively.
• The greatest number of breaches of journalistic standards occurred on the BBC News Website and in The Independent
JJ pulls Jeremy Bowen to pieces over Hebron Report. Hamas/Fatah Talks Cancelled
• On Monday night, BBC 10 O’clock News carried a report from Hebron by Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen. Three minutes long, it was introduced in the studio as addressing in-fighting between Hamas and Fatah. However, the first minute focused on how Israel negatively impacts on Palestinian life in Hebron.
• The report’s opening element featured a Palestinian boy in a wheelchair and described how Israeli restrictions make it difficult for him to reach his school, labelling Hebron ‘a grotesquely abnormal place.’ Of the seven elements in the report, three featured Palestinian children. None featured any Israeli interviewee.
• Bowen introduced his piece by stating that ‘Everything that happens in Hebron happens ‘against the background of the Israeli occupation, forty years of occupation.’ Only after this was the Hamas-Fatah split discussed – the supposed focus of the report.
• The next two segments of the report remained focused on this stated issue, but the following one ended with the journalist stating, ‘The irony for Palestinians is that Hamas and Fatah agree their row helps Israel,’ before cutting straight to a Hamas spokesman who elaborated on this theme: ‘Anything that weakens the Palestinians, whether as a group or as factions, benefits Israel.’
• Whilst Israeli responsibility was heavily implied in parts of the report, no Israeli voices were included. Two short references were made to what ‘Israel says’ justifies its actions.
I ‘liked’ the bit where Bowen points out the closures lengthened the trip to school from 2 minutes to 15 minutes.
Oh, the inhumanity! 🙁
I spend most of my day watching BBC trying to ignore my fuck ugly wife nagging in my ear all day. I dont think they are biased… arent muslims kind nice people who would never bomb anyone, it’s all a giant conspiracy right?
I heard on BBC that it was really the American government that did 9/11. Also Eastenders gave me some great sluts to fantasize over when I put the paper bag over my wife’s head and bend her over… whats not to like?!
I’ve been an Israeli suicide bomber 6 times now (even tho there’s never been 1 – why let facts get in the way)but having read Jeremy Bowen’s report I’ll join my brothers and commit suicide for the cause of Hamas a few times to err.. help end this err.. injustice by randomly bombing the hell out of those pesky cafes and local villages with my Iranian .. whoops.. home made rockets for unknown reasons rather than attempt to negotiate.
Cheers Jez, could have had a nasty accident without ya.
I complained. I never received any reply at all.
Naive, Lancaster.
Random | 16.11.08 – 3:17 pm | #
In that case you should complain that you didn’t receive a response, and keep on until you get something. I’m pretty sure they are obligated to give you some sort of reply.
I’ve read a lot of the complaints sent in here and many seem to be thinly veiled venting. Look at the complaint David Vance posted up on the main page regarding election coverage.
As for the above case, it seems to me that an individual who has the backing of an MP (who raised the issue in the commons) would have had this investigated if it was of any merit. Indeed, where is any follow up if he was ‘raped’ on air? It’s also a pretty poor MP who doesn’t take this further if true. You call me naive, but I’m confident even the BBC can’t just do as it pleases.
The BBC has being doing just as it pleases for many, many years.
Just to whom do you believe it is accountable?
News 24 are currently hyping up Maradonna’s arrival at Glasgow Airport . Apparently vast hordes of Scotsmen turned up to cheer on their greatest hero , motivated as they were by anti-English hatred and bile .
Needless to say , the accompanying footage focuses very narrowly on the short , dextrous one , failing to catch any members of said delirious horde . They do manage to get a quick shot of two bemused holiday-makers with folded arms ,looking less than impressed , however .
What is the point of this whole article ?
Could it be to promote mutual antipathy between the various inhabitants of Britain and so further the aims of the E.U.’s regionalisation agenda ?
Surely not .
I am sure that was the main motivation of covering maradona,s arrival.
The BBC has:
“Official wanted Baby P with carer”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7732193.stm
-and there’s a BBC ‘Panorama’ on the subject this evening (BBC1, 8:30pm.
But Melanie Phillips raises deeper issues which apparently the BBC is unwilling to raise:
‘Daily Mail’ article –
“The liberals who did so much to destroy the family must share the blame for Baby P”
[Extracts]:
The more we learn about the behaviour of Haringey Council, which failed so grossly in the horrific case of Baby P, the more apparent it becomes that our so-called welfare state has turned into something truly monstrous.”..
“But the people who really have blood on their hands are the progressive intelligentsia who have simply written orderly, married, normative family life out of the script, enforced the doctrines of multi-culturalism and nonjudgmentalism with the zealotry of the fanatic, and caused Britain to descend into an age of barbarism. ” (Melanie Phillips).
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1086398/MELANIE-PHILLIPS-The-liberals-did-destroy-family-share-blame-Baby-P.html
The price you pay for being a Eurosceptic nation…..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7726700.stm
And make sure your breakfast is WELL down before reading this one:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7732901.stm
deegee | 16.11.08 – 7:21 pm
There were nearly three times as many authored articles on the BBC News website portraying Israel negatively than positively.
This sort of positive/negative scoring methodology is plain silly.
Surely it will depend on what Israel has being doing during the period under study.
If an Israeli helicopter has opened fire, killing a Palestinian chid • then the coverage is bound to be ‘negative’.
But if Israeli doctors have been giving free medial care to Gazans even though said Gazans had just killed some Israelis with a ‘home-made rocket’ , then the coverage would be positive.
No doubt a memo went round White City this morning, reminding Beeboid hacks that the Obamamania quota for today must be met.
What other possible reason could there be for the following tripe on the Corporation’s increasingly facile ‘news’ website?
“Obama ‘to rebuild moral stature’ “
BBC report
“Doctor admits he is a ‘terrorist'”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7733157.stm
No mention in BBC report of any of his affiliations to e.g.,’Islam’ or ‘Jihad’.
(No mention of Bin Laden, only of ‘Jeep laden with petrol and gas canisters’.)
George R | 17.11.08 – 12:55 pm
Dr Asha said that on these visits Dr Abdulla and Mr Ahmed discussed martyrdom, but in a way that was “very, very playful”.
You couldn’t make it up.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7697823.stm
mikewineliberal
Did you read my post and watch the item ? There was no rapturous reception as described by the BBC – only a media scrum .
The BBC cameraman even , inadvertently , caught the complete lack of a crowd despite his narrow-angled best efforts .
The commentary going along with the article was entirely slanted towards how the evil Scots were jumping up and down spitting hatred and bile at the English .
Even a BBC apologist like yourself must be able to see that this was neither about Maradonna , nor entirely accurate .
BBC report:
“Pirates capture Saudi oil tanker”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7733482.stm
OR:
‘Islamic Somali pirates capture oil tanker of Islamic Saudi Arabia’
And who does Saudi Arabia expect to rescue the tanker?
GCooper,
Actually, I cant wait for the “ultimate man who never was” to hurry up and get in to office in Washington.
It is at that point when he will, for the first time in his life, actually have to start working and prove something simply because EVERYONE will be watching.
Then again, I would think these guys and their accompaning media, will have their excuses ready for not deliverying any promises he made (like closing Gitmo etc) where everything will just be blamed in GW, more so if a terrorist attack occurs in America in the next 4 years.
Mailman
BBC report:
“Citigroup job cull to hit 75,000”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7733575.stm
While Brown puts his trust in the Middle East oil billionaires to rescue the West’s banks, it should be noted that the two biggest owners of Citigroup are just such Middle East oil billionaires: Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia, and the ruling family of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Not mentioned by BBC. For fear of shattering its Brown economic dream?
On a previous thread I made a joke post about the Somali pirates, wouldnt you know that the surviving pirates are now on their way to the UK and they already have lawyers AND full legal aid to fight their case!
The BBC wont be rushing to air the story will they?
Apparently the pirates cannot be sent back to somalia for trial because their ‘yuman rites’ might be infringed, oooh right!
The taxslave will now have to shell out millions of pounds to look after these pirates and if(and thats a big if)they are found guilty they will put away for a few years at taxslave expense then they will enjoy a lifetime of lavish benefits courtesy of said taxslaves.
Of course they will be allowed to bring their families here all at great expense all housed and fed with full NHS coverage.
You can imagine the yuman rites briefs rubbing their hands with glee, pound signs in their gimlet eyes and the BBC propaganda machine just itching to help the pirates(innocent victims)in any way they can.
Has it occured to the government that this might encourage the pirate ‘community’ to get caught by the British as a way into the UK? It means every pirate caught will be imported into the UK, of course in the interests of diversity the ‘pirate community’ is under represented at the moment so all is well eh?
Welcome to the mental asylum that is the UK!
Cassandra
Yes; a ‘Times’ report of 7 months ago:
“Pirates can claim UK asylum”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3736239.ece
This is how Labour can keep up its numbers of immigrant Islamic jihadists to UK.
No demur from Home Office (nor BBC).
World leaders meet with the left-wing illuminati chief of staff. I thought Obama couldn’t wait to work with everyone? Another tale.