Author Archives: Ed Thomas

. Reading Greg Dyke’s speech in New York recently (see below posts), it seemed that I was hearing about a magical Kingdom, let us call it ‘Beebland’, where the journalists have such integrity that balanced coverage in the public interest, er, magically prevails. I wonder, do the people of Scotland agree, after the ‘coverage’ of the ‘building’ of their monumental folly, the new Scottish Parliament building? Many, many questions arise from this story that the Boss of Beebland is clearly too complacent to answer. Update. I thought it would be civil to link from here to the Boss of Beebland’s recent speech. Also, for anyone who doesn’t know, the Scottish Parliament building has proved to be a bit more costly that predicted and is a tad controversial in those parts.

This needs remarking on, even just for the sound byte we’ve all thought but rarely heard spoken by a public figure:

“Getting the BBC to admit it is wrong is like squeezing blood from a stone.” – Ben Bradshaw, former Beeb journalist and [current UK Government] Fisheries Minister.

I wonder whether the Government will let the BBC off the hook when the Charter renewal discussions begin? Maybe they are just enjoying making the Beeb squirm for a change, or Greg Dyke (Boss Hogg to his friends) do some work.

Many thanks to Nigel Holland who brought this to light in the thread below.

The poet Benjamin Zephaniah Says NO to OBEs- especially in the light of the Iraq war. Yes, that’s right- but he also took the air-time on Channel Four News last night to praise the BBC World Service because they had changed their name from the BBC Empire Service. So, apparently the leopard can change its spots. It’s all in a name.

I would never seek to defend a certain old British hegemony, whereby dirty deals were done with local dignitaries to gain soldiery or to nullify opposition. There is an area though where the British do retain a degree of hegemony, as do the French: that is in World News provision. In my last post I criticised the uncritical approach taken to the story of Internet fraud in Nigeria. In my view each story should stand reasonably well on its own legs. We’ve made similar comments about coverage of another legatee of colonialism: Mahathir Mohammed former Prime Minister of Malaysia. Cosying up to strong men seems to be a habit that BBC (Empire) World service and its relations at BBConline have not shaken. They would appear to prefer to tear strips off limited-term western politicians- you know, the ones who will risk their lives for a photo shoot. Honestly Benjamin, are you still a sucker for the real Empire punch? When the BBC extends the olive branch of ‘impartiality’ to these countries, who gets the warm rosy glow? And who gets the scoops?

in some respects, and incredibly nuanced (ie. sophisticated) in others. Yet another example here of where essentially the Beeb are harrying the US over operations in Iraq. They recently reported the fall in attacks on US troops, masked carefully by a headline about increased attacks on Iraqis (see Tues ‘Different Tactics’). Now they report a denial by the US that extra troops are needed for a worsening security situation in Iraq- but who asked the question? Who said attacks ON US TROOPS were ‘unabating’? Surely not the Beeb, because they knew very well from their own findings that US troops in themselves were finding life easier in recent times. If that doesn’t trip the reader into assuming the worst for the US, there’s always the ‘isolated US’ argument which follows it.

Now cut to a different story, about Internet fraud (no less) in Nigeria. There are so many interesting angles on this that the Beeb misses- not least the comical one that the 419 fraud is so unbelievably simple yet apparently catches so many Westerners (you’ve probably received one of these- I know I have- and binned it). The serious one is that apparently Nigeria is so poor (despite oil earnings) that this fraud is a significant national earner. Another would be the irony of Nigeria’s ruling class cracking down on fraud in the light off the above fact. All goes sailing by, and we’re as ignorant about real Nigeria as ever- and misled over goings on in Iraq. Looking round for alternative sources of African News, I was not overwhelmed with the choice. Is this an argument in favour of the Beeb? The best of a bad lot? Or is it an argument for reform to create more competitive British news providers? Here’s one place anyway (not that I give it my blessing). Update– Having explored my own link I do bless it, kind of. Update2.Readers of the Beeb article will notice links to Nigerian corruption stories (good)- these are just simply too understated to be taken seriously in my opinion (bad). Update3.Maybe my ‘dullness’, maybe slippery language (suit yourself), but the ‘unabating onslaught’ referred to in the Beeb report is reportedly on ‘coalition targets’ rather than US Soldiers as I implied.

. Well, some of them have been coming here, so maybe some of us should go there. I don’t normally say a lot to anyone about the NHS. They were good to my Grandma and bad to my Grandpa, and family members tend to end up dying there. I think though that in BBC coverage of the NHS it’s worth bearing in mind that they are kindred spirits, both formed in the expansionist phase of statist Britain (BBC circa 1928, NHS 1945), after people had turned back on expanding the British Empire to spend time building up the State instead. Many people today take pride in that enterprise (the building up the State part- strangely unfashionable during the Thatcher years, where the earlier bit had a flurry of interest). Actually, ‘Boss Hogg’ (see below) in particular has some bold things to say about a publicly owned company, which might help explain the Beeb’s benign attitude towards rocketing public spending on the NHS, much of which goes into salaries (- see discussion above). By the way, the license fee increased above the level of inflation this year too. I wonder what the ‘Boss’ gets paid?

. Yes, it would seem that Greg Dyke, or ‘Boss Hogg’ as I like to think of him, considered his award in New York a chance to make attack his best form of defence against editorials like this.

Update. I can’t deprive anyone of access to Melanie Phillips’ reflections on this. I am also interested in the comments posted subsequently- as often seems to be the case there are interesting anecdotal snippets. For instance, I barely remember any Falklands coverage, but Mr Williamson does, and can make comparisons. [Some visitors will be delighted to hear a range of views expressed- including some they agree with!]

? All too often slow to report the changes in tactics on the ground, the BBC has a curious way of headlining a reduction in the number of attacks on US soldiers -attacks often given a headline place over the recent weeks. It’s not that I think the picture should be rosy-tinted- the reality is still ugly. I just wish for a little rationale in their reporting that isn’t weirdly skewed and mistrustful of both reader and military sources. CNN has not been gung-ho, but at least this represents a fair hearing for the US Army news, within the context that suits it, of tragic continuing military deaths. To contextualise it within a story about a rise in Iraqi deaths is to elide two stories to the detriment of both- in fact, despite statements (often quotes) which appear intended to lead you there, it’s to miss the twist that the story of post-Saddam Iraq is taking. Bad news (higher casualties) is bad news. Good news (lower casualties) is good news. After reporting them both separately because to do otherwise does justice to neither, comment. Simple, right? Maybe if they hadn’t elided Iraqi deaths with a US attack reduction, they could have referred to this (via Healing Iraq)

Of course, while very relevant to the Beeb headline, the Talabani article could be quizzed and I would have no objection- but I do want to hear it.

I relished hearing from CNN the direct comments of the Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt. I can judge them for what they are- upbeat military remarks by a man eager to do a job yet who cannot ignore reality for long and get away with it. With the BBC what we get are the comments of the more obviously political figures like Bremer, and one of those typically troublous soundbytes from Abizaid that, while ok to hear, probably requires setting in a context that he would acknowledge as a necessary one given the chance. (via Instapundit)

. After this feel-good article by Jonny Dymond comes this cluster of incidents. What to say?

In the first place I was very sceptical about Dymond’s report. It was ‘too good to be true’ journalism of the sort the BBC tells us it always tries to avoid. Its intent was just to act as a more palatable variant of the theme that ‘The British in Basra are better at hearts and minds blah blah’. When the Beeb responds to the inevitable complaints at their output of gloomy, opinionated ‘realism’, their journalism, then scarcely honourable, is sickly-sweet and insincere. Then Dymond plays fall-guy for us as his analysis is seen to be terribly shallow- a victim trapped under the rubble of editorial policy.

.Reading Kerry’s post on David Frum I found what I felt to be a ‘money’ quote. Here ’tis:

‘How can you do a program that purports to study why British people are so hostile to President Bush – without taking note of the state broadcaster’s role in creating and magnifying that hostility? ‘

In other words, the Beeb foregrounds the debates we have in society. Now, hear this:

‘Ms. Doucete, who refers to homicide bombers as “honor” killers, believes “her job is to translate” rather than simply report the news, because “Israel is led by a Prime Minister who believes that it is not Israel’s policy that is wrong, just that they have to explain it better.” ‘

– David Bedein in FPM

Well, it sounds very much to me like a case of playing at being judge and jury. Thanks very much to Barry Rab for both these snippets, who like so many BBBC commenters recognises when something stinks.

. As a commenter in the below thread also notes, the Beeb’s journalists are logging their responses to the Bushes’ visit. It was (and still might be later on) a delightful selection of half-baked preconceived ideas disappointed, with dashes of wishful thinking thrown in. Until, that is, it was radically stealth-pruned back (these days, stealth editing isn’t enough- stealth-pruning under cover of darkness is the thing). For instance, maybe Jules Botfield was right and Mr Bush’s rooms had windows thin enough to have him lying awake hearing the ‘peace’ protesters in their hundreds outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. Then again, Jules, maybe not. I bet he and his ‘lump in the bed’ slept in a nice peaceful four-poster. This morning, after 8 0’clock, she records that there are four protesters, yes, four. Lazy bones protesters! Just can’t get the nihilists these days.

Meanwhile, I’ve commented before on Paul Reynolds’ sense of history, but the first paragraph here takes the biscuit. Still, if you’re not satisfied by chortling through that (A serious point through the article would be the lack of balance in reporting Bush’s Middle East comments. I heard the speech and it was very negative towards corrupt Palestinian leadership.), take a look at this attempt to maintain cultural ‘balance’ at a time when Bush is looking disturbingly as though his values are received quite amicably in this country. Senior EU commission officials really must be high calibre individuals methinks (ahem)- I suppose we should ask Medact for the answer to that (see Tuesday post). Just one little rocket propelled grenade I’d like to bring to this Europartying article: ‘Kosovo’. It’s all rather reminiscent of the botched visits, meals and activities one engages in when one has unwelcome guests. You end up doing the most awkward things to be seen to please them or failing that to avoid them altogether.

Update. For some reason you can still access part of the old log – which is good! Why they need to chop it up unless they’re scared of self-contradiction is beyond me.

Update2. As portrayed in the movies that were Bin Laden’s staple youthful diet, ‘it was quiet- too quiet’. Very tragically, the terrorists know how to stage a public relations event- by attacking Britain’s interests in Turkey. One more reason why we need a serious, broad-based and competitive media in the UK.

Update3. The ‘radical pruning’ was just a moment of reorganisation. Anyone who’s watched Beebonline tactics knows you must be on your toes. Closer to the present, and Trafalgar Square is ‘nearly full’, march organisers will be ‘very happy’ at numbers in the ‘tens of thousands’ (so is that 2 or 3 tens? Joke). Dominic Cascani helpfully interprets for us.