Monthly Archives: April 2009

Legal purposes crossed

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There’s been an interesting story recently which might tell us much about the BBC’s editorial bias. I was reminded of it by this article by William Rees Mogg in the The Times. According to him, senior judge Lord Hoffman, who has spoken out against the Strasbourg law court the European Court of Human Rights, “has supported the shift to judicial liberalism that followed the passage of the Human Rights Act 1998”

So, a liberal judge.

Who attacks a European institution.

What to do (for the BBC, who are attached to both)?

Well, interestingly, the BBC immediately reported Hoffman’s attack– they may have even broken the story to the wider public – but they made special points of saying where he might be acting from a sense of personal injury, “In 1989 Lord Hoffmann had a decision of his overturned”, or untrustworthy, Hoffman “had contributed to a decision that the former Chilean leader could be arrested and extradited for crimes against humanity, without emphasising his links to human rights group Amnesty International.”

As this kind of background is normally quietly left aside when reporting the thinking of liberal leftists, and in those cases the BBC simply rest on the seniority of the source, we can be sure that this time the BBC came down in favour of supporting a European institution. As Russell Crowe said to Marr on Sunday, pointedly and deliberately- “objectivity is a myth”.

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General BBC-related comment thread!

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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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Brown Boosting Choreography

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It was interesting listening to BBC world service reflections on the G20 summit. The analysis focussed almost totally on the mood music- no mention was made of actual outcomes, as for instance the UK press has focused on. It was left to commentators to discuss that in a debate section.

The summit was presented mainly along the lines of personality. The BBC presenter couched the question as: the Obama – Brown relationship; respectful courtesy or something better?

How about utterly predictable, without political cost, and mainly for the cameras? In other words, no room was given for a genuinely critical perspective

The presenter continued:


Are we seeing the birth of a new and incredibly significant special relationship?

10 more years, I tell you!

The next question involved the comparison of the so-called “London Summit” with Camp David, Yalta, etc. Wow, that big huh?- until we were called on to remember that most summits are finally not too significant. Thus it was that expectations were lowered and Brown’s reputation elevated in the same broadcast.

Icing on the cake was the little ad for the BBC’s economic coverage which followed the broadcast, beginning with Brown’s gutteral “no time for a novice” soundbyte from one of the Great Leader’s top hits.

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Brandt’s Willy

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The continuity announcer introduced Any Questions by describing Vince Cable as ‘The Sage of the Liberal Democrats’.
Q. How would B-BBC commenters describe other MPs?
No I’d better not ask that before the watershed. A.Q. was a bit more lively than usual. Speakers on Any Answers “reflecting the sentiments of the majority of callers” were angry about the police’s ‘unprovoked aggression’, (where have I heard that phrase before) and ‘kettling.’
Hazel Blears thinks the BBC – Our BBC – shouldn’t have to pay ofcom’s £120,000 fine – Wossy and Brand should cough up.
Jonathan Dimblbore kept calling Brand ‘Brandt.’ Must have been confused by all that chatter about Willies.

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Don’t Mention the War

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Feedback R4 was all about anti-Christian Comedy. What it was really about though, was: why is the BBC too scared to make jokes about Islam? But they were too scared to say that, so they cloaked it in a foil of other religions, saying “You’re always dissing Christianity, why don’t you ever do that with Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, Ismism, oh and Islam. They said it very quickly while no-one was listening.

‘I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it.’ Like that.

Anyway, the chap from the Beeb said “I deny everything” and “edgy comedy” and “Iconoclast”.

Oh well. Feedback is always a bit like that.

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Carry on Complaining

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Grimer has drawn our attention on the general thread to the inadequacies of the complaints procedure. The BBC does have one, and complaints are sometimes upheld. If they are, what is the outcome?
When the the horse has bolted – and no one seems to know how to shut the stable door – they say something like:
“Editors were reminded that, when there is an active controversy over an issue, it is important to consider carefully how to reflect varying shades of opinion.”

Continue to perpetuate inaccurate misleading agenda-driven misinformation because that’s all you know, till another complaint is made, we uphold it, ad infinitum? In other words carry on regardless.

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General BBC-related comment thread!

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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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Mysteries (human)

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Fashion Mysteries.

Why does everyone swoon over Michelle Obama’s hideous unflattering outfits?
Sarah Brown is endearingly dowdy; go Sarah!

Beeboid fashion mysteries:

Outside broadcast gear; Casual sporty anorak over formal collar and tie. All wrong.

Jeremy Bowen- cool dude/Country and Western/Brokeback Mountain. Denim shirt, drainpipes, fancy belt buckle, leather jacket. Occasional scarf /cowboy neckerchief (red)

You’re not a cowboy, cool, or a dude. Or a reporter.

Boris Johnson (almost Beeboid) at the olympic closing ceremony; fashion icon obviously Sir Patrick Moore. Awesome.

General Mysteries

 

  • It has been said that Alan Sugar has a built-up chair in the boardroom to make him taller, so why does he let the back of his chair be so high that it dwarfs him? (bit like “Dennis Waterman” in Little Britain?)
  • Why MMGW? (What about wimmin-made global warmin’?)
  • Would it improve the QT audience for the ‘lads’ if the BBC audience questionnaire included a cup size section?
  • Does the Data Protection Act cancel out the Freedom of Information Act?

These are some of the overarching mysteries of our time. (Some are more loosely connected with the BBC than others.)

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Hail Obama!

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Isn’t the tone of the coverage of the G20 excitable and sort of hysterical?
“Obama Hails ‘historic’ G20 Summit” as a headline; subliminal message = “Hail Obama!, You’re Historic”

Then there’s this weird article breathlessly describing the mardi gras. Halfway through, under the heading ‘Achievements’ Dominic Casciani has suddenly written:

“The death of a man near the Bank of England appears to be a human tragedy.”

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Tiny Glimmer Extinguished

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On Wednesday, Aleem Maqbool brought us the violence between Hamas and Fatah. (Murders, knee-cappings and torture.) There was only one brief reference to Israel’s wickednesses; he actually stuck mostly to Pali on Pali atrocities.

This morning John Humphrys let Jerusalem Post’s Gil Hoffman speak positively about Avigdor Lieberman – he was even allowed to be optimistic about the likelihood of peace under Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime.

Announcing on hourly radio news bulletins that a 13-year old Israeli boy has been killed by an axe-wielding Arab seemed almost like another small glimmer of light; somewhat dimmed by the fact that while other news outlets reporting this sign off with a mention of other terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens, the BBC reverts to type by adding instead a reminder that “this is the first such incident since the right-leaning government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office.” Later changed, extinguishing the glimmer completely, to ”All Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory are regarded as illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.”
Understandable that militants would want to kill Israeli children, right?

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