BBC report to stay confidential
The report looked at the BBC’s news coverage of the Middle East
A bid to force publication of a review by the BBC of its Middle East coverage has been rejected in the High Court.
London lawyer Steven Sugar wanted the Balen report, which was drawn up in 2004, to be revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.
But Mr Justice Irwin ruled that, as the material was held “for the purposes of journalism, art or literature”, the corporation had no duty to disclose it.
Bye Bye Balen Report
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It is so wonderful to live in a democracy. Even the Judges have been subverted.
“Welcoming the ruling, a spokesman for the corporation said: “The BBC’s position is that free and impartial journalism is vital to our viewers and listeners and is at the heart of public service broadcasting.””
Impartial journalism? From the BBC? About the Middle East?
There’s a pig flying past my window…..
“pig” may possibly be a poor choice of animal when discussing the Jews and Muslims.
Don’t worry Lord Tebbit will ensure it is published, the BBC are shitting rent boys at the thought of him sorting the druggie rent boy users out.
“If we have a Conservative government then we can do something about it. The BBC is another part of the destruction of Great Britain.
“The truth is that the BBC doesn’t know that it is biased. It thinks that Guardian reading champagne socialists are the norm.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4560371/BBC-faces-fresh-criticism-over-offensive-remarks-about-Baroness-Thatcher.html
Not much of a shock really: The judiciary siding with the BBC.
I wonder what they both have in common?
‘Daily Mail’:
“BBC wins bid to keep star salaries and Middle East report under wraps (and it only cost us £200,000)”
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1217718/BBC-wins-bid-star-salaries-Middle-East-report-wraps-cost-200-000.html#ixzz0SsUXwgJI
A total bargain.
A spokesman for the BBC said: ‘The BBC was entitled to decline to disclose the information on the basis that the Freedom of Information Act did not apply to it.’
The correct way to go is to lobby for ammendment of the F.O.I. Act so it does apply to the BBC.
Someone should approach Balen himself and see if he’d be willing to misplace a copy of the report. Then it could be circulated on the Internet.
Not about literature, not art, not even journalism. It was about governance, and exposing that couldn’t possibly in the licence payer’s interest, could it?