reporter John Kay spent more than two minutes on a jocular report searching in vain (on a nice sunny day out) for a place in Cornwall called Porthemmet – a spoof news report about a spoof tourist destination, also covered by BBC Views Online, Shock for visitors to fake beach (another fine example of Views Online headline writing). Sadly, neither the Ten O’Clock News nor BBC Views Online were able … Continue reading →

news bulletin reported that Home Office Security Minister Tony McNulty had admitted that the government had made mistakes in the aftermath of the 7/7 terrorist atrocities in London, in particular that the Muslim Council of Britain should not have been treated as being representative of British Muslims. The story was mentioned on Newsnight with greater brevity, and is featured, ‘Mistakes’ made over 7/7 reaction, on BBC Views Online (appearing on … Continue reading →

of the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Halo 3 game on Tuesday by showing gameplay from arch competitor Sony’s PS3 Killzone 2 game instead, helpfully labelled on screen as ‘Halo 3’. I suppose that’s one way of being balanced. Next up, news about Apple’s new Vista operating system…   Biased BBC reader Supermario spotted this Youtube clip showing the BBC’s latest stupidity, and a comment thread at Computer & Video … Continue reading →

(courtesy of the Daily Mail): After years on six-figure salaries as cabinet ministers, John Prescott and John Reid should hardly be short of a bob or two. But yesterday it was revealed that both had pocketed about £250 from the BBC to give their views on Monday’s proceedings at Bournemouth. A source at another broadcaster also claimed that Mr Reid had asked to be paid for a five-minute chat, so … Continue reading →

Please use this thread for BBC-related comments and analysis. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not (and never has been) an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or use as a chat forum. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts. Click through to read and contribute comments on this … Continue reading →

writes David Elstein, a respected broadcasting executive and commentator: If fake quizzes are venial sins, loss of impartiality is – for the BBC – a mortal one. This summer, the BBC published a laudably honest independent report on impartiality, which exposed the prevalence of political correctness and “groupthink”. It revealed how despite all the BBC’s efforts, its editorial processes were captured two years ago by the Make Poverty History lobby … Continue reading →

writes Chris Hastings in the Sunday Telegraph: …BBC employees are furious that the corporation has spared Mr Yentob from disciplinary action after it forced a wave of resignations last week from junior members of staff who committed similar breaches. Staff contacted by The Sunday Telegraph, including some of the BBC’s best known names, said Mr Yentob’s “extraordinary” behaviour should be the subject of disciplinary action. “The Alan Yentob business is … Continue reading →

: As BBC executives fall on their swords for rigging such world historical events as the naming of the Blue Peter cat, I am reminded of a story told me by an ex-minister concerning this programme. It held a competition of a creative nature of which the minister was a judge. He chose an entry that turned out to have been from a child at a fee-paying prep school as … Continue reading →

I see that in his latest Gaza sob-fest on today’s BBC News website, Jeremy Bowen says that: “Israel, like most of its Western allies, regards Hamas as an unreconstructed terrorist organisation bent on the destruction of the Jewish state.” That’s absolutely right Jeremy. Just as we regard a large, grey, four-legged mammal with a long trunk and big ears as an elephant. Ouch! Spot on. Click through to read and … Continue reading →