INTERNAL DISAGREEMENTS

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Today‘s Evan Davis and BBC political correspondent Louise Stewart had a lot of fun at the expense of David Cameron and Nick Clegg this morning over their disagreement over internships. They returned to the subject later, after which Evan talked to Gus Baker. The Today website describes Gus as “a student and co-founder of pressure group Intern Aware.” Evan Davis described him in similar terms on the programme. Mr Baker … Continue reading →

ANTI-SEMITIC SHILLS FOR GADDAFI

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A guest post by Hippiepooter: If I was an anti-Semitic despot desperately trying to cling to power and I wanted to give an interview with pliant Western journalists to make propaganda, I know that Jeremy Bowen would be at the top of my list. It came as no surprise to me that Mr Bowen was one of the three journalists that Colonel Gaddafi chose to interview him. This said, in … Continue reading →

PLAYING FAVOURITES

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Certain think tanks, pressure groups, unions, associations (etc) can pretty much rely on the BBC to report their press releases, reports and studies. Articles appear daily on the BBC website devoted to such things. Others are not so lucky, having their reports ignored – or, if not ignored, marginalised or criticised. There’s an article on the website at the moment that, rather unusually, considers two separate reports from different organisations. … Continue reading →

NOT SO EVAN-HANDED

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Getting back into the swing of things, I thought I’d monitor the New Channel’s coverage of the AV referendum campaign on Tuesday. On that day at least (I can’t vouch for any of the others), it seemed scrupulously balanced – balanced number of guests, exactly the same length of interview (well three seconds difference!) for the pro- and anti- spokespersonages, appropriate questions to each side, same number of interruptions, and … Continue reading →

HOBSON’S CHOICE

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If you use the BBC News website’s ‘Search’ function, as many do, you’ll find that broad categories have a right-hand section where BBC editors recommend sites ‘elsewhere on the web’ for readers to investigate. Some of these (usually links to newspapers or news agencies) are regularly updated. Others are much more permanent choices, staying up for several months. The three examples below have been the editor’s choice for over half … Continue reading →

"UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN…"

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There’s nothing that BBC greenies like better than to make us feel bad. It’s glorious spring weather and it’s a holiday, but David Shukman is at pains to warn us that our enjoyment should be limited…and that our unpleasant polluting habits like driving cars and should be reined in. The eco-bogey this time is smog, that nasty, indeterminate stuff (fully of menacing green-creed stuff like PM10s) that will kill us … Continue reading →

Less is More

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The necessity for brevity in BBC online articles calls for ruthless pruning of irrelevant material. Ditching the detail and binning the background lays bare the priorities and prejudices of the BBC. What’s hot and what’s not; the salient v the superfluous. What’s left unsaid says it all. Let’s peek beneath the cloak of impartiality to expose the agenda-driven underbelly and unveil the secrets of the subtle but revealing body language … Continue reading →

False dawn

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I switch on the radio. “They’re firing from mosques and hospitals” a voice is saying indignantly, “Fighting in a most underhand way. They’re taking off their uniforms and wearing civilian clothing and using women and children as shields”“At Last!” I’m thinking. “The BBC has finally recognised exactly how Hamas operates, and understands what Israel faces whenever it tries to defend itself. “But of course I was mistaken. It was not … Continue reading →