The BBC’s Dan Snow gives us a guided tour of Syrian history in ‘A History of Syria with Dan Snow’ But who is guiding Snow safely around the warzone is the question at least one Syrian is asking: ‘A History of Syria with Dan Snow (BBC Two) was an excellent opportunity to tell a complex story. But while it provided useful background information, experienced Syria-watchers were likely to be … Continue reading →

Here you go folks, time for a new one of these!

Wonder have you heard Gus O’Donnell present “In defence of bureaucracy” on BBC Radio 4? I wonder what it is about someone defending a bloated bureaucracy that so appeals to the BBC? Cough.

  The editor of Today is off to a new job next Monday. You may think ‘Good, perhaps we might have a different take on world events under new management’..…as always with the BBC you’d be wrong. Ceri Thomas is now ‘Head of News’….in charge of just about everything: ‘The BBC has confirmed that Ceri Thomas has been appointed head of programmes at BBC News. Currently the editor of Radio … Continue reading →

This is from a speech Patten gave recently….not much needs to be said other than perhaps it is interesting as to just how much reach Patten admits the BBC has compared to Sky…and how influential it is in defining the cultural and social narrative of Britain….something they would never admit to whilst fighting the Murdoch BSkyB bid….and how the scale of the BBC allows it to take risks that commercial … Continue reading →

    No wonder John Humphrys is so grumpy in the morning…he obviously doesn’t feel able to have any breakfast from the staff canteen when at work:     Standards have sunk to a new low at the BBC as workers in the News Department are knee deep in battling a hygiene crisis. Health and safety experts have stepped in to check everyone is toeing the line, putting up a … Continue reading →

      Whilst having a look through the BBC tweets I came across this from Lyse Doucet advertising her ‘interview’ with ‘Alice Walker, author of ‘The Colour Purple’,  one of America’s most successful writers and campaigners. She’s also been highly critical of successive US presidents. So, is President Obama doing any better? Newshour’s Lyse Doucet caught up with her in London. Lyse began by asking about the significance of … Continue reading →

  Not a word of apology from Donnison and Co for demonising Israelis by falsely accusing them of killing their colleague’s baby son when disproved by UN human right’s report. Donnison is keen to bring us these two looks at possible failures of Israeli military: Jon Donnison ?@JonDonnison #Haaretz: Study casts doubt of success rate of #Israel’s Iron Dome Missile shield. Intercepts “perhaps as low as 5%” http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/how-many-rockets-has-iron-dome-really-intercepted.premium-1.508277 … Jon Donnison … Continue reading →

      Some claims of BBC bias are based on fact, others are based on pure fantasy as this ‘report’, ‘Racism and Zionism Rule the BBC’s Failing News Agenda’ from 21st Century Wire illustrates….unknown who backs 21Wire but if it isn’t Iran I’d be surprised…Patrick Henningsen, founder of 21Wire, being a stout defender of Press TV and of Assad’s Iran friendly Syria………   Protest demands BBC lift reporting blackout … Continue reading →

  The BBC has decided its image needs a bit of a burnish…so it decided to look through the archives, find times when it was mired in controversy and catching some flak. It then does what the BBC does best….rewrite history….funnily enough with the BBC always coming out on top having been ‘proved’ right all along in the end. Eight programmes of ‘Battle For The Airwaves’ presented by Nick Robinson…..The … Continue reading →