From bias to ignorance, and back again

. Paul Marks notes this at Samizdata: Presenter of Seven Man Made Wonders on BBC 2 television on Thursday 14th of September- “After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the old Pagan Roman ways were pitted against the new Christian ways of the invading Angles and Saxons”. A commenter remarks: ‘If the BBC could make such a blunder over the status of religion in the later Roman empire, I wonder … Continue reading

“May Allah Curse The Pope”

While the BBC devote large amounts of air time and web space (admittedly inaccurate – see three posts below) to the story of the Pope and Mohammed, they seem to have missed the scenes which greeted worshippers coming out of Mass at the centre of English Catholicism, Westminster Cathedral, this morning. Obviously not a story that would interest anyone in Britain. (Biretta-tip – the indefatigable DFH). P.S. Mohammed is referred … Continue reading

Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. 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 … Continue reading

Thanks to Alison at Making Headlines for the screen shot

Thanks to Alison at Making Headlines for the screen shot. She also adds this: “Note there are no “” around the quoted words sorry. The BBC usually likes to employ these for effect. The BBC would like to make it very clear to peace loving muslims the world over that the Pope is very very sorry, humbled in fact… I’d like to know if muslims are sorry for Darfur which … Continue reading

It’s the root causes, man

The BBC’s editorialising of the news is quite something. Faced with the very foolish Muslim anger over the Pope’s rather erudite (and I might add, as a non-Catholic, rather excellent) speech, the BBC states baldly: “The BBC’s Arab affairs analyst, Magdi Abdelhadi, says the reason for the vehemence of Muslim reaction is simple: America’s global “war on terror” is perceived by many Muslims as a modern crusade against Islam.” Ooh, … Continue reading

Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. 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 … Continue reading

Throw them into a room and hope it works

Note: updates below. (I also added a few more comments to the P.S.) Throw them into a room and hope it works: I’ve just been watching one of the most superficial-ever episodes of Newsnight. A whole load of “experts” — although Paxman admitted to one transport “expert”, a completely obscure local Labour figure, that they had asked 48 other people before alighting on him — were collected together in a … Continue reading

The BBC and Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells

: when being right sounds like being wrong. It was DFH who first drew attention to Kim Howells’ comments on the Hezbullah initiated war in Southern Lebanon. Howells framed his comments thus: “Look, a nation has got a right to defend itself against this kind of action…” And he meant Israel. The BBC then headlined: “Minister Condemns Israeli Action” Now it would seem that they are at it again: that … Continue reading

Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. 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 … Continue reading

Patsy BBC interviews Gordon Brown

: so easy. I admit I rarely post something about BBC bias in UK politics, and I regret that personally. I’m usually too despairing to do so [or busy- ed.]. However I listened to Andrew Marr interview Gordon Brown today, and it was laughable how Marr merely accepted Brown’s repeated assertion that he would back Blair “in the decision he made” (yes, this was a disembodied claim, sans context), but … Continue reading