For those of you who did not watch BBC TV's News last night it is easy to paraphrase the entire programme as follows:
"Former Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has died. While a small number of Israelis respected him, to the rest of the world he was deservedly known as a murdering bastard and war criminal who spent his entire life killing innocent Arab women and children. So let's hear from a whole bunch of Palestinians, none of whose testimonies we will challenge, how truly evil this man was and how he symbolises how terrible Israel is. And who better to lead the narration of all this than Israel-hater Jeremy Bowen."The programme was a perfect textbook implementation of the Rules and Guildeines for Reporting about Israel. The program stated as 'facts' a catalogue of blood libels that have long been comprehensively debunked (see Honest Reporting's coverage for example). What was ignored was the fact that, in total contrast to the narrative presented, Sharon was ultimately so desperate to achieve peace at any price that he uprooted the entire Jewish population from Gaza and that these 10,000 Jews were therefore his most unfortunate 'victims'. What has also been ignored in all the main stream media reporting is that it was Sharon who, in 2004, secured from the US President George Bush a binding commitment from the US that in any future agreement with the Palestinians Israel would keep the major settlement blocks, and there would be no 'right of return' to Israel of Palestinian 'refugees'. This was a written agreement that Obama has now decided to tear up.
The BBC is of course not alone. Daphne Anson discusses the generally appalling media coverage of Sharon's death. The contrast between the reporting of the death of Nelson Mandela could not have been more stark. If the media had reported Mandela's death like they reported Sharon's they would have focused on his actual role in violent armed struggle, his life-time commitment to communism, his continued support for violent terrorist groups like Hamas, and the appalling legacy of today's crime-ridden, AIDS-ridden violent and corrupt South Africa. And they would have led the news bulletins with quotes and interviews with Afrikaans who hated Mandela.
Update: I have submitted a formal complaint to the BBC about the programme.
Update 20 Jan 2014: Here is the BBC response
You are talking about the BBC- The "Tax Payer" paid for media that refuses to publish the Malcom Balen report report because the BBC knows it will show it up for what it is- Totally anti Israeli.
ReplyDeleteIt is so bare faced as to plead "Being Impartial" whilst showing its bias at the same time.
I no longer have to pay for a licence- But today with the internet giving everything you need without the "privilege" of the BBC direct I suggest all the Brits who see the BBC for what it is -Take down your antenna- As long as you dont watch TV live- you dont need a licence.
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday 12/1/14 I heard a news piece on LBC (London Radio) about Sharon, they interviewed a "Palestinian politician", Mustafa Bargouti. Very quickly, it transpired that Bargouti could not believe his luck - for at least a minute, he was given the unopposed opportunity to insert dozens of "Apartheids", "Segregations", "Occupations" and stink-facts that easily stay in the mind of Westerners such as "the Segregation wall that is twice the length and height of Berlin Wall". It was clear that he is a professional Israel basher well versed and memorised his baleful speech and with very good English, the MSM turn to him knowing he will deliver the goods - completely unopposed nor unchallenged by the LBC interviewer. Later, I complained to the shameful "interview" by an email to LBC newsdesk (see below) and guess who was interviewed for BBC News at 10 by Jeremy Bowel? Same Bargouti! And good old Jeremy allowed only one "Aparteid" by the way.
Here is my complain email to LBC (no reply since Sunday).
Dear Sirs,
I would like to complain about your recent coverage of Ariel Sharon's death and in particular on Sunday the 12th January, the opportunity that was given to Mustafa Bargouti to spew anti-Israel propaganda, unchallenged for a few minutes. Bargouti sneakily inserted all the possible anti-Israel lies and half-truths, spicing his talk with a lot of "apartheid", "segregation" and "occupation" in order to influence your listeners to believe that Israel, the only free country in the Middle East engages in shameful practices of apartheid. There was practically no opposition by your presenter.
Among the half thruths that Bargouti drivelled were the accusations of "apartheid wall twice longer and twice higher that the Berlin wall", which is not a wall in most of its route and is much lower - but your presenter didn't challenge him about the purpose of the barrier - to stop Arab suicide bombers that specifically targeted Jewish Israeli civilians, including children.
Another half-truth was that Sharon was "responsibility for Sabra massacre" - without explanation that the conviction was for indirect responsibility for failing to stop the massacre, not perpetrating the massacre himself, as Bargouti was trying to insinuate sneakily.
Bargouti interview had only two questions and neither was really answered, because Bargouti had an agenda - but the interviewer did not stop this shameful propaganda attempt. It is regretful that your station broadcasted this propaganda as an analysis by a "politician" without a counter response by a credible pro-Israeli or even a neutral analyst.
I kindly ask you to consider providing a stage to a balanced response to Bargouti drivel, unless of course, your station has an anti-Israeli agenda.
Asher Pat
Asher pat
ReplyDeleteIf you type in LBC in the search button on this blog you will find a whole string of articles I previously posted about them. Their bias against Israel is easily as bad as the BBC. What's worse is they almost never reply to any formal complaint you make. I'd go so far as to say that every one of their full-time presenters (with the exception of the apolitical Steve Allen and non-commital Julia Hartley-Brewer) has an anti-Israel bias. Also, their part-time presenters and regular guests are a whose-who of professional anti-Israel propagandists: Ken Livingstone, David Mellor, Mehdi Hasan, Yasmin Alibi-Brown, Mark Constantine (Lush CEO), Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maguire.
Well Edgar, maybe it is time for a different kind of radio, a station that will be truly conservative, libertarian and pro-freedom, no soft-all questions or intellectually-lazy reporting, no group-think or "global warming" style concensus, etc.
ReplyDeleteHow can I send an email to the editor of this blog?
ReplyDeleteasher pat:
ReplyDeletemy email adress is:
edgardavidson1981@yahoo.co.uk
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ReplyDeleteShame on those who rise to this pathetic prejudice and discrimination of race and/or ethnicity which only feeds hatred to an already disturbed society. I am ashamed to admit my roots are Hungarian knowing a radical political party (Jobbik)is a platform for such attacks and shallow thinking. The growing number of sheeple is mind boggling.
ReplyDelete