The Orwellian BBC

Anthony Cox — who will forever be remembered as the author of that WMD 404 page — notes an interesting exchange with the BBC on his blog. After BBC News published a call for President Bush’s assassination, Cox wrote to them to ask for it to be removed. In a very curt, two sentence reply, BBC News claimed they never published the call for Bush’s death — because, as it … Continue reading

BBC betray Britain, and Iraq- part 1

. Hazhir Teimourian is a writer and journalist, and he reviewed BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson’s latest book ‘The Wars Against Saddam: Taking The Hard Road To Baghdad’ for the Literary Review this month (unfortunately offline at the moment). Teimourian’s review is headed ‘The BBC Tribe At War’. The headline caught my attention, and what he had to say held it completely. Teimourian is of Kurdish origin, but has … Continue reading

The Beeb selectively quotes Iraqi official’s criticism of the UN

It’s puzzling why the BBC’s coverage of the Iraqi foreign minister slamming the UN has omitted the harshest words he had for the supranational organisation. In case you missed it, the New York Times — unlike the BBC — did find it fit to print: “Settling scores with the United States-led coalition should not be at the cost of helping to bring stability to the Iraqi people,” Mr. Zebari said … Continue reading

“An astonishing series of non-seqiturs.”

Read Melanie Phillips on an exchange between John Humphrys and Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Britain’s top diplomat in Iraq. Humphrys: ‘Doesn’t that rather weaken the argument for having gone to war in the first place? If he didn’t have support in the Arab world; if he didn’t have (as we must assume in the absence of any evidence that he didn’t have WMD)…’ Eh? What an astonishing series of non sequiturs! … Continue reading

They’re back!

Looking on the BBC website tonight is, ironically, like looking into a battery of indignant peacenik artillery. What have we got? Let me offer the headlines: ‘UN chief demands clear Iraq role’ ‘US remains Iraq resistance target’ ‘Vatican slams Saddam treatment’ ‘Blix sceptical on Iraqi WMD claims’ I mean, talk about rallying the troops. Now let me offer you the antidote to this poisonous weaponery, courtesy of Mark Steyn in … Continue reading

Joy to the World (not).

When a mass-murdering thug is pulled from his hole, could the Beeb indulge in a little joy over the news? Not a chance. Here’s an item noticed by a reader of The Corner. I’m am American expat living in London, and I was listening to BBC London (Radio 5) shortly after the announcement of Saddam’s capture. The host of a call-in show was going on about how the Americans unnecessarily … Continue reading

Oh, damn, Bush got Saddam

: that a dictator will be tried for vicious crimes seems to be causing little rejoicing on the BBC’s 10’o’clock news tonight, and much desire to make viewers aware that rejoicing was naïve and inappropriate. “President Bush has been under enormous pressure over the high U.S. casualties”, said the studio presenter, opening a typical leading question. “If these continue, is the bonus from Saddam’s capture likely to be short-lived?” Matt … Continue reading

The news

of Saddam’s capture put everyone in a spin- some media people even trying to ‘head off’ Christmas by sneering about ‘Christmas come early’ for GWB and TB. The difference is that for people who supported the war they can admit to being in a spin- a delightful spin- over the news. Andrew Sullivan is able to admit being in a spin more elegantly than most. Click through to read and … Continue reading

A Telegraph reader responds

A Telegraph reader responds to yesterday’s BBC coverage: .Re: A wonderful coup Date: 15 December 2003 Sir – Saddam’s trial will reveal the shocking truth about the Ba’athist regime in Iraq, just as the Nuremberg trials did about Nazi Germany. His capture is a wonderful coup for the allies that will place the justification for the war beyond doubt. Yet the treatment of this event on BBC News 24 can … Continue reading