No Sex Please We’re Teenagers

So I’m wondering what’s on the tv tonight and I go and take a look at the Radio Times website. Yeah, I know it’s run by BBC subversives, so it’s all part of the Axis of Evil, but even so… Here’s the promo for No Sex Please We’re Teenagers: “There are some surprising results when the teens trying to give up sex for five months face the zeal of the … Continue reading

Allez-y doucement!

Rob writes: There is an interview with Kofi Annan on the BBC website. The interview is conducted by Lyse Doucet. Not an entirely surprising line of questioning by a BBC “reporter”. I’m afraid I couldn’t be bothered to write a transcript of Annan’s replies. I think the questions speak for themselves. Q1) Let us start with the crisis in the US state of Louisiana. Has the aftermath of this crisis … Continue reading

It is a measure of the interest

generated by Matt Well’s now famous piece (Quick! Slap on the “Viewpoint” label!) that I am genuinely not sure whether Rottweiler Puppy’s fisking has already been mentioned on this blog. The BBC was earlier congratulating itself on having had 400,000 page impressions on this piece over the weekend 3-4 September. Ed gently suggested that even then not all of them might have been from fans – although I am willing … Continue reading

A BBC First

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

BBC’s joined-up thinking

.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

Val McQueen

, 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

In the Guardian John Humphrys justifies a great social evil

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.

From the horse’s mouth

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

Incorrect and opinionated

. 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