It was interesting listening to BBC world service reflections on the G20 summit. The analysis focussed almost totally on the mood music- no mention was made of actual outcomes, as for instance the UK press has focused on. It was left to commentators to discuss that in a debate section. The summit was presented mainly along the lines of personality. The BBC presenter couched the question as: the Obama – … Continue reading
The continuity announcer introduced Any Questions by describing Vince Cable as ‘The Sage of the Liberal Democrats’. Q. How would B-BBC commenters describe other MPs? No I’d better not ask that before the watershed. A.Q. was a bit more lively than usual. Speakers on Any Answers “reflecting the sentiments of the majority of callers” were angry about the police’s ‘unprovoked aggression’, (where have I heard that phrase before) and ‘kettling.’ … Continue reading
Feedback R4 was all about anti-Christian Comedy. What it was really about though, was: why is the BBC too scared to make jokes about Islam? But they were too scared to say that, so they cloaked it in a foil of other religions, saying “You’re always dissing Christianity, why don’t you ever do that with Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, Ismism, oh and Islam. They said it very quickly while no-one … Continue reading
Grimer has drawn our attention on the general thread to the inadequacies of the complaints procedure. The BBC does have one, and complaints are sometimes upheld. If they are, what is the outcome?When the the horse has bolted – and no one seems to know how to shut the stable door – they say something like:“Editors were reminded that, when there is an active controversy over an issue, it is … Continue reading
Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use … Continue reading
Fashion Mysteries. Why does everyone swoon over Michelle Obama’s hideous unflattering outfits? Sarah Brown is endearingly dowdy; go Sarah! Beeboid fashion mysteries: Outside broadcast gear; Casual sporty anorak over formal collar and tie. All wrong. Jeremy Bowen- cool dude/Country and Western/Brokeback Mountain. Denim shirt, drainpipes, fancy belt buckle, leather jacket. Occasional scarf /cowboy neckerchief (red) You’re not a cowboy, cool, or a dude. Or a reporter. Boris Johnson (almost … Continue reading
Isn’t the tone of the coverage of the G20 excitable and sort of hysterical?“Obama Hails ‘historic’ G20 Summit” as a headline; subliminal message = “Hail Obama!, You’re Historic” Then there’s this weird article breathlessly describing the mardi gras. Halfway through, under the heading ‘Achievements’ Dominic Casciani has suddenly written: “The death of a man near the Bank of England appears to be a human tragedy.” Click through to read and … Continue reading
On Wednesday, Aleem Maqbool brought us the violence between Hamas and Fatah. (Murders, knee-cappings and torture.) There was only one brief reference to Israel’s wickednesses; he actually stuck mostly to Pali on Pali atrocities. This morning John Humphrys let Jerusalem Post’s Gil Hoffman speak positively about Avigdor Lieberman – he was even allowed to be optimistic about the likelihood of peace under Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime. Announcing on hourly radio news … Continue reading
I’ve been watching the BBC live coverage of the evening’s G20 dinner. Interesting to watch the BBC modus operandi. It all begins with sweeping positive comments for Gordon- Gordon “couldn’t have wished for better from Obama” blah blah… “could have scripted it himself” blah blah. Typical Gordon-boosting. That basic line is then refined with sometimes contradictory observations. The subtext to this has been unquestioningly about increasing regulation (taken for granted, … Continue reading
Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use … Continue reading
