Clear now?

Tim Blair has some choice quotes from an ABC interview with Phil Rees. Rees says: When I joined the BBC, by the way, 20 years ago now, it was assumed, it was a basic standard, that you adopted the idiom that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. And If you use terms like militants, insurgents, guerrillas, you are not saying these people are evil. The word ‘terror’ conjures … Continue reading

“Why do so many people in the USA have guns?”

asks the Children’s BBC website. This treatment is plenty better than it was the last time I posted about CBBC coverage of the subject. This time if you follow the list of links to related mini-stories you’ll see they explicitly give the pro-gun side a hearing! Still, it’s fairly pathetic that the article does not even mention the very different laws in different states. Handguns are practically illegal in some … Continue reading

Aid for AIDS victims.

The BBC makes the very serious claim that the American government refuses to allow aid money to be spent on treating prostitutes suffering from AIDS. In fact it makes it twice. Here is the BBC story: Brazil turns down US Aids funds. It says: Washington says it is important not to promote prostitution, and does not want any of its funds to be spent on treating prostitutes. and Much of … Continue reading

Unreported Britain: Slaughter in Swindon.

Hat tip to Adam, who directed me to this link: BBC News Item or Death Race 2000 Remake? and added, “The Ministry of Truth springs to mind.” The reporter, BBC Bristol’s Chris Kelly, or someone else concerned with the preparation of the original version of this story, failed to spot that a certain claim made in the body of the story and supported by a quote is ridiculous to anyone … Continue reading

This folksy BBC article

by Justin Webb concerns the history of that curious American institution, the filibuster. Mention is made of Jimmy Stewart’s moving performance in Mr Smith goes to Washington. Mr Webb records with an indulgent smile the 87-year old Senator Robert Byrd (Democratic – West Virginia) reminiscing on the art of the filibuster: “And so when I filibustered 14 hours and 13 minutes in 1964 I never got off the germaneness of … Continue reading

The BBC and the UN’s problem with morality

It was only a couple of days ago, and it was a story about Africa- but the UN’s renewed choice of Zimbabwe to sit on their human rights commission cannot be found in the Beeb’s Africa section. In fact it is difficult to find anywhere- and the relevant article is filed as an ‘Americas’ news item. Bizarre. It is considered an ‘Americas’ story because the US has been one of … Continue reading