Looking again at Justin Webb’s recent remark that US broadcasters see British rules about impartiality as an attack on freedom of speech, I did wonder whether he sees it that way too. I also wondered what he thinks impartiality actually is. Maybe he sees it as not being free to lay his own political views on the table during political interviews. Maybe instead of playing devil’s advocate, he longs to … Continue reading
Well, it’s Friday, and time for a new Open Thread. The Oldham and Saddleworth by election result, the fallout from Arizona, what is bothering YOU about our biased broadcaster? Speak now… Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.
Tonight the first Question Time of the new year comes from London. David Dimbleby will be with Michael Gove MP, Diane Abbott MP, Charles Kennedy MP, right-on lesbian novelist and delicatessen owner Jeanette Winterson and Dragon’s Den judge Nazim Khan who now calls himself James Caan since watching “Godfather”. For those playing the Buzzword Bingo, we’ll be using the Soft On Crime, Soft On The Causes Of Crime Rules so any … Continue reading
Anyone catch Mark Mardell and Justin Webb on “Today” just after 7am? They were discussing Obama’s speech in Tucson, Arizona and boy was it PURE undisguished Obama worship. For starters the BBC neutral headline was “Obama saves his Presidency”….that set the tone. Mardell warbled about the “healer in chief” and explained how deep his words were. When the words “Sarah Palin” were used, there was a visceral sneer (Naturally no … Continue reading
I was sent this link by one of our regulars. It concerns Justin Webb – he who is a key presenter on the BBC’s political flagship “Today” programme. Here is Justin writing in The Mirror (natch!) today… America is a nation of white picket fences, neat flags and have-a-nice-day smiles. So why do they appear to hate each other so much? Shortly before Barack Obama was elected, I spoke … Continue reading
On January 13, 1898, an open letter by renowned writer Émile Zola was published in the French newspaper L’Aurore. Zola reacting to the unlawful conviction and imprisonment of a Jewish officer in the French Army, Alfred Dreyfus. He accused the government (and, one was meant to extrapolate, the press and society) of anti-Semitism, and declared that this prejudice is what led to Dreyfus’s imprisonment in spite of the facts of … Continue reading
I was going to post this morning on the topic D.B. refers to below, the stark contrast between the BBC’s treatment of two stories. Events overtook.So belatedly here’s another post with the same starting point.(No Pasarani) The left wing media’s laughably un-self-aware fantasy that violent metaphors are the prerogative of ‘the right’ is looking very ridiculous now. In their determination to blame the Tea Party for the Tucson shooting they … Continue reading
She said “blood libel”. BBC hacks begin the pile on: Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds used the same phrase earlier this week and has explained why to Politico’s Ben Smith. However, I’m not expecting nuance from the BBC on this one. UPDATE 17.30. BBC Twitter Tutor Sue Llewellyn retweets Guardian.co.uk editor Janine Gibson. There’s a PDS epidemic in the leftie echo chamber. UPDATE 18.50. The National Review lists previous uses of the … Continue reading
Seeing as Robin Horbury, our own expert analyst in these matters, is on holiday we’ll let Autonomous Mind pick up the slack. Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.
This is another post about the Tuscon shootings, but I’m not apologising because the BBC seems to be getting even more partisan about the affair, difficult as that may be to believe. Tuesday’s Up All Night on Radio Five Live gave Keith Olbermann the best part of twenty minutes to slag off the American right while presenter Rhod Sharp tossed up softball questions and agreed with every pompous sanctimonious comment … Continue reading
