A Pick-Me-Up

. By my definition (1 paragraph = 1 Spoonful) there are 14 spoonfuls of anti-quagmiritis medicine in this article by Austin Bay courtesy of the Instapundit. I think those who think that BBC coverage is biased against the US efforts in Iraq should respond most vigorously to the treatment. Warning: some may experience an allergic reaction- if so, discontinue treatment. I recommend the full dosage personally, as the disease is … Continue reading

Nick Childs cites a CIA report

which is already being used to support the party line of the pro-tyrant left that Iraq is ‘a quagmire’ and and now entering a ‘spiral of violence’–in reference to the latest French pronouncement. (Mr Villepin’s moralising hypocrisy is hard to stomach when some of those missiles killing and maiming Iraqi civilians and coalition soldiers were made in France during the sanctions period.) Though the CIA has consistently got it wrong, … Continue reading

Factual error?

Given that eighteen of a two thousand strong Italian deployment died in Nasiriya as a result of the truck bomb on Wednesday, and since nine thousand Poles are running a segment of Iraq, it’s interesting to note that as of ten days ago, this was the BBC correspondent’s analysis, with ‘credit’ too to the Democrats: ‘Outside help suggested. … Missouri Representative Dick Gephardt called for outside help. “We cannot solve … Continue reading

Never Back Down

Most of us will remember how the BBC was criticised for using the term ‘quagmire’ to describe the war in Iraq, when in fact nearly miraculous progress was being made on the road to Baghdad. The BBC took such offence it would seem that they’re hanging on to the word whatever the cost- they’ve even dipped into their Oxford Book of Quotations to support it. This article by Paul Reynolds … Continue reading

A Bias Tsar?

Well, as Sandy P. also noted below, a ‘Middle East Policeman’ anyway. According to the Telegraph, Malcolm Balen has been appointed to smooth over the ruffled feathers of the Israeli (and British) Government, who felt short-changed (to put it mildly) in recent coverage of the Intifada (and Iraq). Now, I might be being over literal (it has been known), but don’t you have a policeman to curb the activities of … Continue reading

Good Morning Scotland

is BBC Radio Scotland’s flagship morning news programme. During the 11th November edition from 6:00am onwards, BBC Radio Scotland ran the following in their half-hourly news summary very prominently “Over 2 million people in Britain are malnourished. The elderly, poor, socially isolated and chronically sick are particularly vulnerable” Sounds like a case for higher welfare payments and ‘social inclusion’ – right? Presenter Maihri Stuart interviewed one of the authors of … Continue reading

Here’s a recent post by Tacitus describing his quest

for useful news coverage during his Africa travels. Only the Beeb and a “nameless French network” were on offer in Rwanda and Ethiopia. I give [the BBC] credit for better overall war reporting than we see in the States; but it’s pretty laughably biased. Apparently there was an ANSWER protest here in the US while I was away: watching the BBC, I half expected to come back to find America’s … Continue reading

Can a fish explain what it’s like to be wet all day?

Bernard Goldberg, 28 years with the American TV network, CBS, explains why elitist news organisations like the BBC need help seeing their bias. They don’t think that their positions on the most controversial issues of our time are liberal positions. They think they’re mainstream positions, because all their friends in the bubble think the same way as they do. They think everything to the right of center is conservative. Correct. … Continue reading

BBC executive proposes “desanitising the presentation of the war.”

Denis Boyles wonders if the BBC might want to spew its newslurry in other direstions. A report in the Guardian isn’t very encouraging: “Today, a senior BBC news executive will make a controversial case for desanitising the presentation of war on British television. In a speech to a conference of broadcasters in Budapest, Mark Damazer, deputy director of BBC News, will say the current position is a ‘disservice to democracy’.” … Continue reading