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.
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Did anyone hear Webb’s assessment of the Bush Presidency at 8pm on R4 last night?
Anyone care to argue it was slanted against Bush?
Anyone prepared to admit it was as generous an assessment as you’d see anywhere in the British media?
Will the revelation that he likes Slade lead to a B-BBC reassessment?
We’ve already had Moses but Radio Lancashire this morning about 9.40. A guest priest was on saying that Barack Obama is like Saint Anthony who was a miracle worker. I love the beeb.
mikewineliberal | 20.01.09 – 9:38 am
It must have been a slow bias day at the BBC – there was a reasonably fair treatment of bail out 2 with opposition points even raised by the beeboid on news 24 and this morning on Taking a Stand there was a sympathetic interview with the sister of a man murdered by the IRA, who can’t stand having Adams & Co in power.
I dare say usual (heavily slanted) transmission will resume shortly.
Just noticed this story about the fighting in Sri Lanka.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7839076.stm
Contrast this with the BBC coverage of Gaza. This paragraph is all you need to read to confirm the BBC’s bias when it comes to any conflict Israel is involved with:
Independent journalists are not allowed in the conflict zone and information from both sides cannot be verified.
The BBC is the enemy of Israel.
The Conservatives could take a lesson from the way Sir Peter Burt handled Humphrys this morning. Humphrys started out with the usual “when did you stop beating your wife?” question by sneering at Burt (ex head of BoS) and asking “why not nationalise all the banks?”.
Burt, implying that the question was contentious rubbish mired in willful ignorance, responded that it makes no difference (which shot Humphrys’ fox stone dead before it even began running). Burt continued by saying that since RBS is owned 70% by the state already and, in any event, the taxpayers are 100% on the hook anyway (not just for RBS but in respect of all the banks), whether or not the banks are nationalised is moot. He went on to castigate the government for making the worst of Northern Rock which is now in the ridiculous position of turning away savers’ deposits that it requires to keep in business. He concluded by telling Humphrys that this week-end’s final gamble by Brown with taxpayers’ money could yet end in tears. Humphrys, for once, shut up and let someone who knows what he’s talking about actually talk. How refreshing!
BBC drama once led the world. Today, it is little more than political correctness and pantomime agitprop.
Did anyone see the latest BBC1 example, Hunter? (Sunday and last night 9pm). The plot was that a group of Pro-Lifers (natural BBC villains because they don’t support sexual free-for-all)were so incensed that they decided to start killing children unless the BBC showed footage of a post-24 week abortion.
It was license for some horrendous images of the Pro-Lifers abducting and injecting innocent children with various lethal drugs – sequences that were so graphic that they would not have been shown on terrestrial television a few years back. And of course to portray the villains as heartless, callous, evil scum.
I have combed the internet to see if Pro-Life groups have ever done anything remotely like this. I found a few nastly examples of intimidation and violence in the US where staff of clinics have been targeted.
But – tell me if I’m wrong – there’s not one example anywhere in the world of a Pro-Lifer killing children, under any circumstances.
So Hunter looks to me to have been an example of a BBC coterie sitting down somewhere and deciding how they could find new ways tovillify a group that the corporation hates. Any passing resemblance to something called reality was abandoned in favour of the political need.
I personally do not support a lot of what Pro-Lifers want. But I do support their right to say and camapign for their goals – and not to be attacked in this wholly ridiculous way by the BBC.
The other ludicrous element of the plot was that the Pro-Lifers believed that exposure on BBC news bulletins would change attitudes. Of course, that was yet another reflection of the puffed up self-importance of BBC types.
BBC ‘have your say’ topic “what next for Gaza?” just read thru the first two pages of reader recomended and they all support Israel!
How many left in the mod queue? thousands! The BBC was no doubt expecting a barrage of pro hamas supporters and they got a large number although the ‘reader recomended’ tally was all pro Israel and showed huge support for Israel.
If an Israelli is reading this, dont judge us Brits by the BBC hate mongers and terrorist sympathisers, the majority of us are with you in your struggle against evil.
A story not coming to you anytime soon on the BBC….
According to the FT – The GVN’s weekend swap of RBS preference for ordinary shares was “Probably the worst ever [market] deal – worse that the Conservatives’ Black Wednesday”.
http://alexmasterley.blogspot.com/2009/01/probably-worst-deal-ever-worse-than.html
And yet in the 1990’s: Tory spokesmen couldn’t get near a BBC microphone without being constantly reminded of the billions that Lawson lost on the currency markets. But this disparity is not new. Can anybody ever remember the BBC hectoring Brown for losing Billions during his fire-sale of our gold reserves?
The best thing is the complete blotting from BBC memory of the delightful Callaghan Labour govt in the 1970s.
This really was the Laurel + Hardy
govt of the 20th Century and not to be forgotten.
MWL: I didn’t hear it, but considering the way you’ve been hawking it about, it seems that it stood out wildly against 99% of all previous BBC portrayals of Bush-as-monster. Whilst it’s pleasing to see you admit (albeit by stealth) that positive coverage of Bush by the BBC is an almost world-shatteringly rare event, it won’t have impressed anyone here that, once he’s been safely consigned to history, the BBC might (might, I emphasise – I didn’t hear the programme and am having to rely on your dubious testimony) have made a modicum of favorable comment.
Robin Horbury | 20.01.09 – 11:01 am |
I seem to remember the first of BBC’s Spooks (or the first I ever saw) had a similar plot – pro-lifers as terrorists.
They’re clearly into recycling their rubbish.
The only good thing, it seems, is that “global warming” is becoming an almost universal synonym for snow • measured in feet – while the media are just beginning to take the mick out of Gore, and even the IPCC is getting some flak. Possibly, also, the BBC has developed a sense of humour. It can’t be serious about this piece.
So, as we are cold, broke, and the pound plunges to new lows, we can at least all have a laugh, in the certain knowledge that there are some people won’’t get the joke, while others seem to be running out of wind.
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2009/01/touch-of-global-warmings.html
The real hustle, my perennial contempt for that programme and my continued disgust for the BBC grows greater as long as that is aired.
Cassandra, you can always spot when the BBC don’t like the direction of a debate on their “Have Your Say” page.
Suddenly the moderators have gone awol, hundreds of posts are awaiting clearance. They are cleared and almost immediately the debate is closed.
On the BBC they love to say, “we get complaints equally from the left and the right about bias”. I ask, as I don’t know, is there a left wing “Biased BBC”, if I were to guess I’d say not, they won’t have much to complain about.
mikewineliberal: Even if what you say is accurate (unlikely) one Swallow doesn’t make a summer.
I’ve long given up with Webb. He and Frey are two of the biggest arseholes on the planet.
MWL
What did you think of Rory Bremner’s “spot” on the Today programme this morning.
Nice to be given an open mike to demonstrate his personal political viewpoints on President Bush was it not? 100% anti Bush bias in my book, if not in yours.
Did he have a similar spot with similar anti views freely expressed when A. Blair esquire or ” I did not have sexual relations with that woman” stepped down.
Gerald Brown | 20.01.09 – 1:10 pm
Probably. Both Blair and Clinton were among Bremner’s repertoire of impressions.
@ Jonathan – got a link for that FT story? Thanks
Gerald – Didn’t hear it, so couldn’t comment. But you think Bremner is positive about Blair!? He loathed him.
And Robert, my point is a narrow one, albeit one I’ve made before: that I think this site misrepresents Webb, who has consistently in my view reported and commented on US politics in a way outside what one might call the liberal concensus (which sees little good in Bush). I’ve even heard him defend US gun laws a few years ago, when he compared the level of burglaries in the States with what he’d been used to back in the UK (Camberwell).
One barometer of political bias is to consider what is being broadcast to kids. Take a look at these two stories from Newsround:
The first is for Obama’s inauguration. Key points are it being a huge day, people all over the world, and parties.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7830000/newsid_7839100/7839171.stm
The second is of Bush’s inauguration in 2005. Is it me or is there just not the same level of enthusiasm? And was the cost of the inauguration event not relevant in 2009?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4190000/newsid_4192700/4192709.stm
Perhaps the most dramatic comment relating to Brown’s attempt to save something from the wreckage of UK Plc has been this statement from George Soros’s former business partner, Jim Rogers:
The UK is finished… sell any sterling you might have
Other news providers, plus blogs all over the world are carrying this dramatic statement.
But what about the BBC?
Well it’s buried in Peston’s blog here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2009/01/faith_in_banks.html
Given how the BBC likes to trumpet Peston stories all over its bulletins and on the front page of its website…. why the reticence about this story?
— begin forwarded text
Subject: Your BBC Posting has been removed From: “blogtheeditors” Date: 20 Jan 2009 04:54:47 +0000
Dear BBC Blog contributor,
Thank you for contributing to a BBC Blog. Unfortunately we’ve had to remove your content below
Comments posted to BBC blogs will be removed if they are considered likely to provoke, attack or offend others; are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable; are considered to have been posted with an intention to disrupt; contain swear words (including abbreviations or alternative spellings) or other language likely to offend.
You can read the BBC Blog and messageboard House Rules in full here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/messageboards/newguide/popup_house_rules.html
If you can rewrite your contribution to remove the problem, we’d be happy for you to post it again.
Please note that anyone who seriously or repeatedly breaks the House Rules may have action taken against their account.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/messageboards/newguide/popup_breaking_rules.html
Regards,
The BBC Blog Team
URL of content (now removed): http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/blog23/F12247553?Thread=6205141&post=74577785
Subject: Reporting from Gaza
Posting: My congratulations to the BBC’s Paul Wood. More fact finding like this please:
Broken town shows Gaza destruction
Everyone here denied there were military targets in the homes fired on by the Israeli forces.
But Hamas officials stopped us from filming at one site where bodies were still being removed.
This was a sign, perhaps, that there had indeed been some kind of military target if not in the houses then nearby.
Which goes to show that had Israel allowed free access to Gaza for the media during the fighting Hamas would without a doubt have controlled their output even more.
The question still remains as to how much of what was allowed out via the BBC’s Palestinian producers, coached by Alan Johnston, was censored or approved by Hamas.
And talking of Alan Johnston, it’s strange that the BBC has not reported proudly on this award to him:
The Muslim News Awards for Excellence
British ministers and political leaders extolled Muslim achievements in the UK at the annual ceremony for the latest The Muslim News Awards for Excellence in London on Tuesday.
Among the winners were Sadiq Khan MP, Minister in the Government Whipís Office, Amir Khan, the IBF inter-continental and Commonwealth Lightweight Boxing Champion and BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who was detained in Gaza for nearly four months last year.
“These awards celebrate the achievements of British Muslims in all walks of life. They identify Muslim achievers and highlight the wonderful contribution that British Muslims make,” Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.
“Equally importantly, they challenge the stereotypes and negative portrayal of Muslims in many parts of the media. They provide us with role models we can all be proud of,” the Prime Minister said in a video message to the annual ceremony in London on Tuesday night.
So, is Johnston a Muslim, or not?
Inquiring minds need to know.
— end forwarded text
Biodegradable | 20.01.09 – 1:38 pm
What right have the BBC to censor things on the grounds that they might provoke or offend?
The right to offend is a key element of freedom of speech.
And when it comes to its own output, the BBC loves to be seen as provocative, edgy etc.
Mikewineliberal
What is your point!In my (very misguided) youth I was a Labour ward delegate, a ‘Young socialist’, now middle aged have voted Lib Dem (as was)in my 20’s / early 30’s (before waking up) – and still am considered centrist in most things. At the moment laid up with broken leg I have feasted on the joys of Radio 4 – originally for something to rail against – but pleasantly surprised – not at the oh so predictable output – but at my own reaction – in these times of ‘change’ it’s refreshing to have something you can really rely on i.e. unabashed biased reporting and state manulation! I had occasion to make regular business visits to the 70’s ‘eastern block’ countries- TV coverage full of output performance / targets, government statements and spin with some (latterly) token alternative views – sound familiar??
Many people on this blog have waxed more eloquently than I – but can I state the bleeding obvious?
95% of output whether drama, news, documentary,’comedy’ etc shows in content and subliminal attitudes has a clear agenda – some of (very) few easily identified ones:
Big government – good,
Government spending – big is better.
Marxist regimes past – misunderstood.
Cuba – good.
Public Sector responsibilty – virtually every area of activity.
Tony Benn, Geo Galloway – good.
EU – good.
Left leaning geezers – good
Ethnic minorities – always victims (except when ‘colonialists’)
US history – one of oppression.
Conservatives – bad (rebels excepted)
US republicans – ditto
Israel -bad.
English history / identity – bad.
Air Travel- bad (but only if used by the masses).
etc, etc.
One could could go on ad nauseam but please – the exceptions to the above are rare – I heard the Webb piece, and in truth it was reasonable, but only from the prospective of the other 95% of output – drop/ocean comes to mind!
Anonymous 1:10
What! On the Today programme, the flagship “NEWS” programme on BBC radio?
MWL
Strange about Bremner and Blair. I do not recall him being the one dissenting voice among the broadcast “humour” brigade during the “walk on water” years BI (before Iraq).
Why can’t al beeb, abu bowen and the unspeakable lyse d. see the truth?
Go here:http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/159568
It is positively staggering on the day the Pound plunges below 1.40 and bank shares collapse like fallen trees, that the BBC can only manage a single, tiny, story on the front page of its website – the lion;s share of which is taken up with yet more drooling Obama sycophancy.
Could someone remind these imbeciles which country they operate it?
Does this work?
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/159568
On WHYS my comment was awaiting moderation for approximately 1 hour then miraculously disappeared!
So much for saying I won’t be watching the Inauguration “festivities”….
It’s about Obama, America, and I do have better things to do (like responsibilities)….We don’t all live in candyland with gumdrops and lollipops.
I am sure the thread will fill quickly with people who are ready to offer nothing but praise!
GCooper — Ah, methinks I sense someone of like mind with at least a working brain on this site. You are right. Al beeb’s shallowness and superficiality pervades. They are too stupid to realise that our country is a high price, high tax, low wage economy and will not do anything except pander to the house priced obsessed. The pound is indeed falling to a level where it should have been years ago, reflecting its real lack of purchasing power. After all, would anyone in their right mind invest in a currency with a monarch’s portrait on it?
James:
Sorry for the slow response. I was offline. Link below.
http://alexmasterley.blogspot.com/2009/01/probably-worst-deal-ever-worse-than.html
Opinion polls:
I notice that a couple of polls over the weekend, have the Tory lead back in double digits. Strangely, they don’t seem to have recieved the same prominence on the BBC as their November-December counterparts which showed Brown/Labour gaining ground.
Can’t imagine why, can you? 🙂
Anyone notice the BBC lead article on the drop in inflation? It says that the VAT cut caused the reduction! Not the fact that shops were giving stuff away at up to 70% discounts.
The BBC Poll Watch which disappeared after the March 2008 report, oddly just as the polls srated to show the Conservatives with a substantial lead in the polls. The column reappeared in July with a report on June’s poll excluding the Who would you vote for type polls. The column then disappeared again only to reappear last December to report on the Brown Bounce but not a word since 23 December. I presume David Cowling is working on a report for publication next week… Or will he disappear again as the polls have moved against Labour again?
You can read more here.
More rubbish from BBC Radio Scotland yesterday on their tea time news show. The ridiculous Gillian Marles was interviewing someone called Barry Legg, who I gathered was a rabid anti Europe Tory, about Ken Clarke’s elevation to the shadow cabinet. This was basically a bash the Tories puff with all sorts of vituperation about Clarke and how he will destroy the Tories election prospects. This was music to the BBC ears of course and ended with Marles asking Legg, words to the effect, ”is Clarke up to it”. This was absolutely appalling and the interview was only arranged because they knew that Legg hated Clarke. It was like asking Derek Hatton ”what do you think of Neil Kinnock”. Answers on a postcard.
Ten randomly chosen small businesses talk to the BBC about their prospects. Guess what: nine out of ten predict increased traktor produktion!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7833049.stm
Chuffer:
Tell that to the Anglesea aluminium producers…
CMB:
Chuffer:
Tell that to the Anglesea aluminium producers…
CMB | 20.01.09 – 3:04 pm | #
…and ten thousand other businesses that somehow failed to fall into the BBC’s net.
Who is this Obama fella?
Lovely Pic of the totally impartial Anita Anand from Daily Politics/Five Live in an Obama hat.
she’s obviously lovin’ it…
(stolen from guido – apols if old news)
Jonathan,
Ill disagree with your statement about swapping preference shares for ordinary shares as being a mistake.
The mistake was the preference shares in the first place simply because the interest rate was nearly twice that imposed upon US banks.
What this meant is that US Banks had a commercial advantage in that they had to pay less to the Government than UK banks. So in essence what th Government did was common sense. The change ensures money is released on to the markets instead of disappearing in to the black hole that is the Governments consolidated account.
To be honest, the Government has no other option but to bail the banks out.
If all the banks went under we would see unemployment approaching 5 mil simply because of all the money that has been sucked out of the economy by all these people being dumped on the unemployment heap.
Mailman
What right have the BBC to censor things on the grounds that they might provoke or offend?
Anonymous | 20.01.09 – 1:44 pm
That particular BBC blog is pre-moderated, which means that comments must be approved first by the moderators. They found nothing wrong with it and allowed to be published.
Somebody then lodged a complaint using that boiler-plate accusation which the mods then upheld.
Most likely the part they, and the complainer felt was “likely to provoke, attack or offend others; are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable; are considered to have been posted with an intention to disrupt; contain swear words (including abbreviations or alternative spellings) or other language likely to offend.” is the last part about Johnston being a Muslim.
I’ve re-posted the first part here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2009/01/reporting_from_gaza.html?page=2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2009/01/reporting_from_gaza.html?page=2#comment682
i m just watching the BBC’s crowning of Obamessiah its shame they dont cover our own countrys news with such vigour . The beeb are likening the new king of washington as some sort of second comming , sickening indeed. Lots of black cars “a compelling picture , Barack obama on the move , the motorcade greeted by people on either side of the street ” etc etc etc. only another hour of this mind numbing drivel to go .
http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm
I have found out where the BBC got it’s inspiration!!
The obama love in is really getting tiring!
I did a picture!
http://thatchers-child.blogspot.com/2009/01/message-to-us-all.html
The collapse of Sterling has now disappeared from the BBC Politics Front page. The top story is “PM will ‘work closely’ with Obama – Gordon Brown says he will work closely with the new US administration on the economy and the environment.”
I presume that will entail the close to bankrupt US government asking “What’s it like” of the bankrupt UK government.
if obama has any sence , he will avoid talking to broown !
A different P.O.V.
The Western media coverage of the war in Gaza
Regular readers of B-BBC may have gained the impression that the BBC is the English language representative of Palestinian/Hamas propaganda. However the Saudis haven’t been convinced.
The London media with the BBC coming in for special mention have been allowing Israeli officials into every discussion.
The BBC failed to stress that tunnels allowed the Gazans to smuggle in food.
The ‘unspecified’ media gave Israeli representatives 58 minutes of airtimefor ever 19 minutes for the Palestinians.
As Muhammad Idrees, a member of spinwatch.org points out: “It is through these subtle – and not so subtle – manipulations of language that the BBC has shielded its audience from the ugly realities of occupied Palestine. In the BBC’s reportage Palestinians “die”, Israelis are “killed” Palestinians “provoke”, Israelis “retaliate” Palestinians make “claims”, Israelis declare.
Read the whole thing.
Annita Annand of the BBC wearing an Obama wooly hat!
Yeah great, unbiased coverage my fat pink arse!
Its BBC orgasms all round, laughing’N’smiling and all the fried chicken’N’watermellons you can eat eh?
Lets all celebrate good times’N’stuff, then tommorow whitey starts payin da price, reparations’N’free cash all round eh? well, as long as you is black of course!
Mailman:
“I’ll disagree with your statement about swapping preference shares for ordinary shares as being a mistake.”
RE: Preference shares – I’d agree Mailman, the terms of the 1st GVN bailout were a mistake!
But the GVN compounded that mistake over the weekend (please read the short FT article that I linked too) by swapping the shares at too high a price. After all, as the majority share-holder and having completed due diligence back in October (at the time of bailout 1) they must have known about the scale of RBS’s losses before publication on Monday and the all too predictable collapse in their share price.
In short, the GVN paid over the odds, with OUR money. A point the BBC have failed to make. Indeed, it would be nice to know just how much money flash Gordon has already lost on
a) Northern Rock
b) Bank bailout 1
c) B & B Building Soc.
d) 10p tax fiasco
e) Gold sale
f) Bank bailout 2