DB – Page 33 – Biased BBC

OMG Global Warming!!!

By DB | February 28, 2010 - 3:18 pm |November 17, 2012 climate change, global warming, Richard Black

BBC environment correspondent Richard Black, quoted by Robin Horbury yesterday:

I’m not surprised at the level of UK scepticism as the main impacts of climate change are decades away and in other places. The problem is poor science awareness. We need to improve science education so people properly understand climate science.

So it’s the sceptics who need educating is it?

There’s lots, lots more like that. At least they’re not uneducated idiots like those sceptics.

Update 17.30. Let’s not overlook the fact that it’s probably all about oil too.

The Now Vote Green Show

By DB | February 27, 2010 - 12:39 pm |November 17, 2012 Generic BBC Comedians, Green Party, The Now Show

102 Comments

[Update Wed March 3. I see the photo has caused quite a bit of discussion. Chris T-T is of course pissing in the wind asking for money, but on reflection I can see his point about use of the image. I too would be pretty angry if, for example, the BBC used a photo of mine without permission. Therefore, in the interests of reserving my right to occupy the high moral ground and go apeshit in similar circumstances, I’ve replaced the picture with a link. It was only ever incidental to the point being made anyway (I could have just as easily linked to the Brighton Theatre Royal’s own website). No doubt this’ll piss some of you off, but there it is.]

Further to my earlier post pointing out that The Now Show will be on three nights a week during the election campaign, I see that two of the regular cast – Marcus Brigstocke and Mitch Benn (along with other members of the BBC’s left-wing comedy establishment) – are in Brighton tonight (via Twitter)

Interestingly, the poster fails to mention what the event is for:

Award winning comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke will join forces with TV and radio comedy friends Russell Howard (Mock the Week), Alastair McGowan (The Big Impression), Mark Steele (NewsQuiz) and Mitch Benn (Now Show), Robin Ince (Nerdstock) and others for a one-off night of political mayhem at the Theatre Royal…

Proceeds from the gig will be going towards funding Caroline Lucas’ historic bid to become the UK’s first Green MP.

I guess the chances of hearing a Brigstocke rant or Mitch Benn song taking the piss out of the Green Party on Radio 4 are pretty low, then.

Update Sunday Feb 28. Response from Mitch Benn in the comments. He doesn’t endorse Lucas or the Green Party, but he supports them because they’re not the BNP. And Marcus speaks truth to power. Something like that.

(Here’s someone who likes leftie comedians but is unimpressed by their support for the Greens. Update. Link now password protected. Cached version here.)

Cuba

By DB | February 24, 2010 - 2:50 pm |November 17, 2012 Cuba, Matt Frei, Orlando Zapata Tamayo

9 Comments

The very sad death of Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo has come at exactly the wrong time for Matt Frei whose first report from his visit to the communist dictatorship is a typically clichéd “triumph over adversity” BBC item. At least someone at the Beeb was embarrassed enough to mention “the death of one of the country’s leading political prisoners” in the blurb under Frei’s video.

(Hat tips to various commenters)

Why Was Farage Bumped From Question Time?

By DB | February 24, 2010 - 2:10 pm |November 17, 2012 Uncategorized

29 Comments

Did the BBC withdraw Nigel Farage’s invitation to appear on last week’s Question Time in Middlesbrough over fears about what he might say regarding the closure of the Corus steel plant on Teesside? Tata and Pachauri do like to threaten their critics with lawyers (remember the BBC’s spineless response to complaints by the Muslim Council of Britain following Charles Moore’s QT comments). Or does the BBC not need a specific reason to piss UKIP around?

(Hat tips to PacificRising in the comments and Not A Sheep)

Update. More on this from Tory Aardvark and EURSOC (via George R. in the comments)

Coming up on Radio 4

By DB | February 24, 2010 - 12:38 pm |November 17, 2012 Generic BBC Comedians, Simon Schama

12 Comments

I missed this in The Guardian last week:

The Now Show, the vehicle for comedians Punt and Dennis, will be renamed The Vote Now Show, for the duration of the election campaign and broadcast every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

FFS.

The article also says that Labour Party supporter Simon Schama will be presenting Radio 4’s A Point of View for three months.

The Two Generics

By DB | February 22, 2010 - 8:37 pm |November 17, 2012 Generic BBC Comedians

15 Comments

The Bias That Keeps On Coming

By DB | February 18, 2010 - 10:40 am |November 17, 2012 BBC College of Journalism, Bush, Mark Barlex, obama, Richard Bacon, sarah palin

12 Comments

Mark Barlex (BBC News On Demand Editor) quoted on the BBC College of Journalism twitter account:

The link takes you to this BBC video report of the Iraqi guy throwing his shoes at George Bush, complete with different camera angles and a slow motion replay.

A few minutes later there was a further tweet highlighting another one of Barlex’s favourite BBC online items:

The BBC’s position on American politics summed up in two tweets.

On the subject of BBC echo-chamber Obama-loving Republican haters, there was a typically biased discussion about Sarah Palin hosted by self-important left-luvvie coke-snorting fame junkie ex-children’s TV presenter Richard Bacon on his Radio Five Live show yesterday. A perfectly nice American woman who – horror of horrors! – likes Sarah Palin had to endure Bacon’s continuous sneering and the negative comments of two journalists from anti-Republican publications (Newsweek and the Guardian). Another fine example of what passes for balance on the BBC.

That BBC/Guardian thing again

By DB | February 10, 2010 - 12:40 pm |November 17, 2012 BBC/Guardian symbiosis

25 Comments

Earlier this year we learned that the BBC was helping the Guardian produce its front-page scoops. An interesting series of tweets from yesterday shows that the licence payer is also subsidising technological advice to our national broadcaster’s favourite newspaper.

Here’s the head of all things digital and interactive at BBC Radio 5 Live, Brett Spencer:

A good morning spent hammering out our big interactive general election offering. Off now to do a bit of show and tell at the Guardian

The natural first port of call following a morning’s discussion of election coverage.

The Guardian’s Matt Hall was grateful for the BBC employee’s time:

Great presentation from @brettsr on #fivelive visualisation . He even came over to Guardian Towers to do it!

The editor of the Radio 4 blog Steve Bowbrick was there too:

Just grabbed a coffee with @bowbrick in the Guardian canteen. Talking blogs, governors, twitter & the like.

The Guardian’s head of audio Matthew Wells:

Great presentation about BBC 5 Live interactivity from @brettsr – Gdn can only afford a fraction of what they do, but will take inspiration.

A question from “medluv“:

@MatthewWells Did Guardian pay BBC industry rates for R5L presentation today?

The reply from Wells:

@medluv @brettsr no we didn’t pay. Equally my colleagues and I do similar talks at other organisations. It’s called collaboration

Are these licence fee funded presentations available to all newspapers, or just the BBC’s ideological soul mates?

More Palin Bashing

By DB | February 10, 2010 - 11:11 am |November 17, 2012 Uncategorized

24 Comments

When Barack Obama was mocked recently for addressing a sixth grade class, and later a committee meeting, with teleprompters present, did the BBC report it? No.
When he was mocked recently for repeatedly mispronouncing “Navy corpsman” as “Navy corpse-man” at the National Prayer Breakfast, did the BBC report it? No.
When he was mocked recently for saying, “The Middle East is a problem that has plagued the region for centuries”, a line right up there with any Bushism, did the BBC report it? No.

But Sarah Palin jots a few words on her hand and already the BBC has responded with two news articles (neither of which finds space to mention Palin’s amusing “Hi Mom” response to the media frenzy). No doubt broadcast versions of BBC news have also covered the story with equal glee.

Unfortunately for all the rabid Palin-haters at the BBC and elsewhere, the repeated attacks on her don’t appear to be doing her any harm within the increasingly influential Tea Party movement. I like the House of Dumb description of Palin as Roadrunner and her detractors as Wile E Coyote:

Every single time they think they’ve totally nailed her, they somehow end up under the boulder while Sarah disappears in the distance.

Update 7pm. Some neat reactions from Monica Crowley and Sean Hannity and guests (hat tips Jack and John in the comments). And here’s an earlier Hannity on Gibbs.

And in related news, here’s Vagina Monologues author Eve Ensler on the Jo Behar Show on Monday, showing us all just how much more intelligent she is than Sarah Palin:

ENSLER: Well, I just think the idea that she doesn’t believe in global warming is bizarre.
BEHAR: Every scientist at every note believes in it but Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in it.
ENSLER: And I think we just kind of have to walk around the world at this point and look at what is happening to nature and earthquakes and tsunamis.

Global warming = earthquakes and tsunamis. I wonder how many luvvie actresses who have appeared in Ensler’s play over the years have slagged off Palin for being stupid.

[I’m sure our old friend Scott will be keen to report this story in The Stage. Suggestions welcome for the headline. I’ll set things rolling with “The Vagina Dumbalogues” and “All About Eve (Stupid Bitch)”]

Excuses

By DB | February 4, 2010 - 7:48 pm |November 17, 2012 climate change, Glaciergate, Roger Harrabin

5 Comments

In Roger Harrabin’s latest article about what he calls the “hue and cry” surrounding the Rajendra Pachauri “manhunt” (not betraying your feelings much there, Roger) the BBC’s environment analyst says that he’s been having difficulty getting in touch with one of the co-chairs of the IPCC working group which oversaw the inclusion of the discredited Himalayan glacier info:

Professor Parry has repeatedly refused to answer my questions about the genesis of the errors, and his out-of-office assistant now says he is travelling for a month.

A lame excuse by Parry, and the fact that Harrabin mentions it suggests he’s not convinced.

When Andrew Montford of Bishop Hill fame tried to find out some fairly straightforward information about the BBC’s involvement in Harrabin’s Cambridge Media and Environment Programme, here’s how the BBC explained its tardy response to his FOI request:

I am writing to advise that unfortunately we are not in a position to provide you with a response to your requests for information made under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This is due to the fact that Roger Harrabin has been abroad and then on leave for much of the last six weeks and is now tied up with pressing stories.

Well, it’s just so difficult keeping in touch these days isn’t it?

UPDATE. It’s unrelated to the above post but I can’t resist sharing this headline: Hackers Steal Millions in Carbon Credits

The madness of it all in six words.

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