The BBC has been caught out several times using photographs that were not actually photographs of what they were claimed to be of.
Very often they have come by way of ‘Social Media’.
The BBC assures us here how careful they are to verify such images or information that comes from user generated content:
Altered Images Questioning whether cameras never lie
BBC News receives photos every day from people across the world, many purporting to show unfolding events. Trushar Barot, of the BBC’s user generated content team, says there are two aspects to verifying whether images are genuine – technical checks and editorial judgement.
“There are several tools we use to help us assess image data, including whether an image is an original or whether it has been manipulated digitally. We’ll also look for visual clues that we can cross reference, for example the weather, the location, number plates, signs, language and so on. We do reverse image searches to see if the images appear elsewhere on the web to help us track their origin.
“Editorially, we’ll start from a point of scepticism, posing the question ‘Is this image too good to be true?’ We’ll analyse the context of the image and the motives behind why it might have been uploaded on the web at that time. We will also seek to cross-reference what the image purports to show against official or verified sources, such as news agencies or with our own teams on the ground.”
The BBC has no such qualms though when it comes to reporting that a whole nation might be ‘racist’ on the evidence of a few Tweets from a Muslim in Norway:
The tweet that sparked a debate over racism in Norway
Well…not sure if it was a debate…more a witch hunt by the sounds of things.
Things of course are different here, we like to debate sensitive subjects openly…..
When Dominic Grieve suggested that Pakistani’s were prone to corruption, more prone than perhaps other communities, he has had to back down and apologise:
Dominic Grieve ‘sorry’ for minority corruption remark
….as out came the usual ‘victims’ who are all highly ‘offended’ …..
Dominic Grieve is a v clever man. Hope he realises his sweeping generalisation is wrong, has caused huge offence & unequivocally apologises
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) November 23, 2013
As a British Pakistani I find your comments not based on fact and deeply alienating and offensive @Dominc Grieve.
— Sajjad Karim MEP (@SHKMEP) November 23, 2013
So no ‘sparking of a debate’ there then about corruption imported from abroad…or anything else by way of foreign culture imported from abroad that is detrimental to good order in this country.
You can see why debate might be unwelcome in some quarters……
‘Is the BBC biased?’ does it’s usual good job in looking at ‘Sunday Morning Live’ which examines immigration…..
Is immigration good for Britain?
Recent reports have suggested that immigrants to the UK since 2000 have made a “substantial” contribution to public finances and immigrants were less likely to claim benefits and live in social housing than people born in Britain.
So are immigrants actually good for Britain? You can have your say by voting online now and then by text when the programme is on air.
Note the reference is to a report that is highly positive about immigration….one that spins the figures in Sir Andrew Green’s words.
And the outcome?
Can you guess what the result of this morning’s Sunday Morning Live poll result was, when the question put was:
Is immigration good for Britain?
Of course you can.
It was inevitable:
11% said ‘yes, immigration is good for Britain’
89% said ‘no, immigration is not good for Britain’
Yes…I guess the BBC is right not to trust that user generated content…they just don’t vote the way you want them to!