Up here in Scotland the BBC is concerned about possible bias: Wark was subjected to long-term behind-the-scenes scrutiny by her own managers, a team of broadcast executives, who checked out her performance on air for anything which might give rise to accusations of bias. Let’s think about this. Is the Beeb concerned that Ms Wark could be a secret admirer of David Cameron? Was she seen campaigning for the LibDems … Continue reading →

on the “United against Incitement and Islamophobia” rally planned for Trafalgar Square today. “The rally … has been organised by the Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Association of Britain and a number of Christian organisations.” Well, yes. Two minor inaccuracies and a curious omission. According to main organisers the Muslim Association of Britain and the Islamic Forum of Europe, the MCB are ‘supporters’, not organisers. Secondly the ‘number of … Continue reading →

Well I know Natalie has a substantial post below, and I do recommend you read it and follow the links (and comment), but I notice that we have a little watershed moment to mark: The BBC recognises the work of Biased-BBC. It’ll be interesting for those visiting from the BBC site (a site we don’t yet link to, for reasons I’ve never quite fathomed) to find their arrival anticipated by … Continue reading →

First off, please note I’m off on my hols. So don’t write to me for the next two weeks. I hope my colleagues will keep posting; but if they, too, are busy on other aspects of their lives I expect the world will carry on somehow. Matt comments: All of the way through the US Lobbyist scandal BBC Online have been presenting the matter as if it were only Republicans … Continue reading →

There is more coverage of the BBCs Religion and Ethics webpage (as mentioned in Will Wyatt’s letter and Andrew’s related post below) at the Telegraph and Eursoc. Here are the relevant web pages for the Prophet and the Prince of Peace. Make up your own minds. Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

I thought I’d create a special post to recognise something from the BBC website which is very interesting. Paul Reynolds has taken, in his opinion articles, to updating by means of clearly bracketed insertions into the main text. Further from stealth editing it would not be possible to get. This latest piece is currently featuring alongside the BBC’s top story, the cartoon controversy. I’m interested to know what people think … Continue reading →

Chief Executive of BBC Broadcast from 1996 to 1999: Double standards in dealing with Islam Sir, I applaud the BBC’s news treatment of the Danish cartoons (report, Feb 4). On its website, however, the cultural cringe is evident and double standards obtain. In its history of Islam we read: “One night in 610 he (Muhammad) was meditating in a cave on the mountain when he was visited by the angel … Continue reading →

John Simpson is asking the question that needs to be asked: how did the cartoon controversy develop into the cartoon war? Simpson asks the question of how the Danish cartoons published on 30th Sept. 05 came to be so inflammatory in Feb 06. He claims to have the answer when he says that Egypt’s Foreign Minister was leading a campaign ‘As early as November’. Well, that is so, but as … Continue reading →

Someone could try telling Magdi Abdelhadi of the BBC. Abdelhadi has an opinion piece in which he attributes the cartoon situation to three factors: ‘1)the rise of violent political Islam 2)America’s war on terror 3)modern transnational media.’ So it’s one part bad muslims, one part bad America, and one part neutral (I suppose). Well, curious. I thought that ‘America’s’ war on terror was contingent on a certain act of Islamic … Continue reading →

Do we believe this? I don’t. This page entitled “Should ‘anti-Islam’ cartoons have been published?” is an edited roundup of opinions sent in by readers of the BBC website. This is the style that the BBC used to have for all its Have Your Say pages until the organisation rather creditably changed to a lightly moderated forum style last year, in which posts can either be read in the order … Continue reading →