Over two years ago I wrote a short blog entry on ‘black American conservative writers’, and ended the piece with ‘A prize for anyone who ever gets to hear one of them on the BBC’. Well, I’ve checked my mail and no-one’s written in, so I’ll have to drink the prize myself. For yesterday morning, the voice of Deroy Murdock was heard on Radio Four – admittedly as the last … Continue reading →

.It’s fascinating to read this Newswatch article (hat-tip to commenter Ritter) and compare it to the article ‘From the Editor’s Desktop’. Compare and contrast: ‘It doesn’t happen that often, but every now and again the heroic team that handles all our feedback looks up from the wave of grumbles and groans and points out a stack of praise for something we’ve done.’ (he was referring to response to this article … Continue reading →

, writing for Tech Central Station, excoriates the Beeb. (Hat tip: the guys at ¡No Pasaran!) Ed’s post here and mine here, and the American Expatriate‘s post on Hurricane Katrina: The Real Story all get a mention. In a spirit of strict honesty, I have to say that it wasn’t Mr Paxman who said, “This is going very badly for the Republicans.” It was whatsisname. Click through to read and … Continue reading →

I very rarely post here simply to vent my emotions. Sometimes I also post to wound, to show off, or to send the children of harmless TV presenters crying home from school. But after the last week I feel compelled to finally let free my inner urge to go the top of the bus and whisper hoarsely to a stranger “George Bush has got a hurricane in his bag, you … Continue reading →

In the Guardian John Humphrys justifies a great social evil: “Independent journalism is too ingrained in the BBC. It is our lifeblood. It is the main reason for the BBC’s existence. It is by a mile the most important thing we do”. Really? Not as important as presenting Mastermind, surely? Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

It’s a pity that this story about the blogging revolution is hidden behind the subscription curtain at the Scotsman. From my printed edition I offer this extract: At their best, they provide an authentic new source of first-hand information. They break stories. They challenge professional reporters to get it right. They keep the media honest. They increase the flow of information. In that context, it doesn’t matter that most of … Continue reading →

. This article manages to combine two of the BBC’s major failings- treating the US as a species of enemy and the EU as some kind of all-powerful godparent for the states of Europe. The article ends (despite being a news article) in familiar vein: ‘The US may not really need baby food from Italy or divers from Belgium, but its call for European and international help shows that, after … Continue reading →

In the Guardian Zoe Williams justifies a great social evil: “We cling on to the licence fee out of some civic humanist ideal, the value of a medium that is above commerce, above the ignoble scramble for popularity and cash”. Well if that’s the best defence then there really is no alternative. Privatise it, now. Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

I caught a few minutes of Newsnight, Jeremy Paxman talking to whatsisname with the blond hair over in New Orleans. There was rather more material for blog posts than I could cope with, but here’s a few extracts: “…This is going very badly for the Republicans…” “…Bush is trying to palm off blame on the director of FEMA… but that won’t wash, since the White House appointed the director of … Continue reading →

The BBC’s John Humphrys shot his mouth off about some politicians in a speech to a bunch of PR men on a cruise. Now he faces an exhaustive internal enquiry. Naughty Humphrys. He owes most of his fame to his role with the BBC, so he really ought to wear the mask. Still, boys will be boys, and the internal enquiry would be better directed at what he says on … Continue reading →