Via Samizdata I found this post by Timothy Sandefur: They’re fanatics; we just have isolated incidents. Mr Sandefur writes:
This week a religious fanatic, driven by his ideological fixations, shot and killed a man that, for political and religious reasons, he considered a murderer. The fanatic drove off and was later caught by police. Of course, the killer himself harbored a idiosyncratic mix of toxic religious and political ideology that led him into violent hatred of the institutions of freedom and those who live in freedom. But was he also not encouraged by a background of more “mainstream” partisanship in which political spokesmen—television and radio talk show hosts, bloggers, and political leaders—speak in increasingly angry, bitter, and violent terms of their political opposition? The political atmosphere has seen more and more spokesmen speaking in anger, hostility, and disrespect about those they view as their enemies, and this breakdown in civility must have had some impact on this gunman.
By the way, I’m not speaking of the murder of George Tiller in Kansas.
Mr Sandefur was not writing about the BBC particularly. But I am, and the BBC provided at least four stories on the Tiller murder:
Man charged in US doctor killing
Man quizzed over US doctor death
US abortion doctor is shot dead.
This level of coverage is reasonable in that it was not just a random killing or a murder motivated by gain or personal animosity. Rather, it was the first targeted assassination of an abortion provider for over ten years. (In fact, if I may digress, the length of time since the last such murder might surprise many, since the media usually give the impression that such killings are common in the US.) It is reasonable to fear that the murder of George Tiller might be followed by others. It might be part of a terrorist movement. But the same, surely, is true of the killing of William Long?
“William Long,” you say. “I haven’t heard about the killing of William Long.” No, you haven’t, not on the BBC at any rate. Nor have you heard about Quinton Ezeagwula who was wounded in the same crime. Nor have you heard from the BBC about the killer, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad.
UPDATE: Commenter DB points out that he mentioned this in the comments on June 2nd.
In the BBC profile of Dr Tiller there is quiet approval: "Reportedly among them (his clients) were girls as young as 10, rape victims, alcoholics, drug addicts, and women who were suicidal or depressed." The implication of this paragraph is that this kindly doctor was performing acts of charity to the unfortunate – not making millions of dollars providing a capitalist service. Among Tiller's 60,000 (that's 60,000!) clients I guess there were no women abusing his services, using abortion as a method of birth control?
Legalised abortion is the most destructive legacy of the 1960s sexual revolution – ever seen any shows on the mental anguish suffered by women after abortions? (Woman's Hour keeps that one under its hat), STDs are seen as a necessary evil. (Anyway its mens' fault, they spread them around). Abstinence is derided. (Those crazy Christians!)
This stuff forever simmers beneath the surface of discourse. Much of the "culture wars" and political discourse cannot be understood without knowing how powerful the feelings about sexual behavior are on both sides. However, in my experience, BBC editors, reporters and correspondents are ALL on the pro-choice, feminist, anti-Christian side of the debate. So much for balance.
PS The murder of an abortionist by an anti-abortion fanatic gets thousands of words on the BBC. The murder of a young army recruiter by a Muslim fanatic gets none. Any questions?
I emailed the BBC's Newswatch about this double standard yesterday. It'll be interesting to see if they address the issue on this week's programme.
(I also mentioned it a couple of days ago in the comments here, btw.)
"So-called" late term abortion. Like the "so-called" war on terror, or "so-called" honor killings, etc.
David Preiser:
Having discussed this with friends and relatives in the UK, I was interested to discover they didn't know what "late-term abortion" actually was. The BBC has never clarified the definition. They also did not know Obama's position on the subject.
So I told them. Imagine their surprise…!
As far as Tiller was concerned the term "late term abortion" meant killing babies who could have lived outside the womb of their mother. If that's not murder I don't know what is.
Here's a neat piece by Ann Coulter:
http://townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2009/06/03/49_million_to_five
Christ I don't have to look across the pond in which to find a murder where the bBC leave out the fatcs.
bBC version:
Teenager accused of park murder
A 16-year-old has appeared in court accused murdering a man who died after being attacked in a Lancashire park.
Christopher Folkes, 37, from Shadsworth, was found by a jogger after the assault near the lake in Queens Park, Blackburn, on Saturday night.
He suffered head injuries and died in hospital the next day.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, appeared before Blackburn Magistrates' Court where the case was adjourned until 11 June.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/8083273.stm
Asian News version.
Two men, aged 20 and 22, who were arrested in connection with the incident have been released without charge but a 16-year-old boy remains in police custody in connection with the inquiry.
Police believe the victim was chased by up to three Asian males before being subjected to a sustained and viscous assault. Witnesses have described him being kicked repeatedly about the head whilst laying motionless on the ground.http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/news/s/1118229_man_dies_following_park_attack
The daft thing about how the bBC protects muslims and the like by keeping stum is in doing so they give credence to the likes of the BNP.
I voted today and noticed some idiot near the polling station with BNP stickers in his window. My intial reaction was to knock on his door and smash his f-ing teeth in. But he has the right and I don't (No matter how much I detest those wankers)
Thanks bBC hopefully when your wet dream of a Muslim britain comes to life you can behead those supporters of the BNP. (Mind you I'm sure a lot of bBC tossers wouldn't mind just giving head to a load of strange men)
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/02/arkansas.recruiter.shooting/#cnnSTCVideo
The politicians who rule over us are stealing our money and the most well known and respected media institution in the country seems to be against us.
Scary times.
The BBC is no longer using the qualifier "so-called" with "late term-abortions". Somebody's paying attention.
like the 'so called bias' on this website I guess…..
Same with the coverage of the Jewish man being shot by the white white supremacist.