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 →

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 →

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.