BBC’s Shame
January 24th, 2009 § 1 Comment
BBC is finally feeling the heat. Many were angry at the BBC’s propaganda in the service of a foreign state. And now the corporation has chosen to add insult to injury by refusing to allow a charity appeal for Gaza. This has for the first time led to a wave of protests across the country, which are being covered by foreign media. ITV, Channel 4 and Five have already broken with the BBC and decided to broadcast the appeals. The BBC stands in splendid isolation in its refusal
Some have chosen to register it through letters, others through action. My own contribution in this regard, an article highlighting the most egregious cases of BBC propaganda in its coverage of Gaza which first appeared on Electronic Intifada, Counterpunch, Press Action, and Indymedia, is now being published as a front page feature in the next issue of the excellent Adbusters magazine. Some like Jon below have chosen to approach the BBC directly. Others like Corneilius Crowley are reminding the BBC editors of their duties, and their complicity. The indispensable Media Lens has issued a strong action alert which has generated worldwide condemnation for the BBC’s coverage from all across the world.
I would encourage all to lend their voices to this campaign. I’ve highlighted just a few ways this can be done, you can use your creativity to think of more. Here first is Corneilius Crowley‘s letter followed by Jon’s information leaflet.
To Helen Boaden, Peter Horrocks and Richard Sambrook
I was one of many people who spent many hours watching coverage of the recent war in Gaza, partly to witness what was transpiring, partly to witness the way this terrible crime was covered and reported, noting very early on that the BBC was ever so careful to refer to the war as a ‘conflict’, and without saying so directly, and by continued use of the word ‘conflict’, even as children were murdered, as UN buildings destroyed, and as White Phosphorous Weapons were used, thus implying that the ‘conflict’ was equal sided in terms of responsibility for what was happening in Gaza.
The historical record, known at the time, shows that Israel planned this war back in March, 2008, that Israel had broken the cease fire, that Hamas had all but stemmed the rocket attacks on Israeli towns (they were reduced to 3 a month during this cease-fire period … not a 100% success, though surely enough to warrant negotiation….)
Because of this I also watched coverage on other channels, to compare the way the war or ‘conflict’ as you would have it was being reported. The stark contrast between the BBCs coverage and that of Al Jazeera, and others was stark indeed. I feel very, very angry about this.
Then I learned that a formal request was made to the BBC, by The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella organisation for 13 aid charities, for air-time to broadcast an urgent and humane appeal for support and funds to aid the stricken citizens of Gaza, during and after the recent war.
Apparently the BBC saw fit to refuse this request!
On the grounds of preserving the BBCs record of impartiality, and the spurious notion that there were questions as to the safety of providing aid during the war!
I am utterly appalled that the BBC acted in this way.
You, and the BBC in general, by acting as I have outlined, have added grave insult to profound and deeply ugly injury. You have besmirched the very concept of public service. You have offended the very notion of accurate and unbiased reporting. You have failed your mandate and abrogated your profound responsibility, and done all of this willfully.
To go further, the BBC has devoted hours upon hours of time to the US Presidential Inauguration, with hours of sugary coverage of Obama’s carefully edited life story, in what amounted to nothing less than a PR campaign on his behalf, with little in the way of sound critical analysis of the sordid role the US Government has played in the Gaza war, and the fact of Obama’s silence on the matter.
You, and the combined senior management of the BBC, are in my eyes, complicit with the US Administration, as you were in the run up to the illegal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Under International Law and UK National Law, specifically The International Criminal Court Act 2001, the BBC’s actions amount to ‘conduct ancillary to the commission of war crimes’, and you will be held accountable.
Yours etc
Corneilius Crowley
Jon sent me this:
I like you have been very busy – but the Gaza war required action. I decided to take up issue of the BBC participation in a war crime by embedding its correspondents with an Israeli army unit attacking the civilians in Gaza. This is a copy of an email i sent to 200 news contacts and the BBC. I have had no replies whatsoever – even to formal complaints in person and via email to the BBC.
Jon
Hi,
The enclosed leaflet was handed to over 1,500 BBC staff at television centre over a 4-day (very cold!) period (9/1/09-12/1/09). I have begged for them to comment – to tell me how the report I am complaining about adheres to their guidelines. A week later after repeated emails and personal requests to Mike Easton the Television Centre general manager I have heard nothing.
I have been verbally abused on several occasions, one senior staffer said – “Alan Johnston is running this, you saying hes pro-Israeli?”. No, I replied, “…but I think after his experiences hes now not impartial.”
Yesterday (16/1/09) they finally sent a staffer in. But the question is this – why did Johnston refuse to put any BBC staff members on the ground? Just because the Israelis have refused permission is irrelevant – the Egyptians have let many news agencies in. But the BBC for some reason chose to just use local stringers – their reports were amateurish to say the least. Yet they have a whole team of pro’s in Israel giving the Israeli point of view.
Anyway back to my leaflet. It makes the point that their correspondent Andrew Herbert is participating in a war crime by being ‘embedded’ with this murderous unit. I’m sure you’ll agree after you have watched the report that this breaks all rules of acceptable journalism.
I’m sure the BBC ‘embed’ is being ever so brave – “first reporter in Gaza” they claim. How brave to run with the IDF, how cowardly to not be reporting on behalf of the victims!
The URL for the article is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7817040.stmBBC Correspondent Participates in War Crime
Your correspondent Andrew Herbert is ‘embedded’ with the Israeli Giv’ati Infantry Brigade while the Israeli army carry out a war crime by invading Gaza.
Why is the BBC allowing this?
Soldiers of the Giv’ati have been convicted for killing unarmed children in Gaza (2004). One schoolgirl was riddled with bullets at close range as she lay dying.
They are part of the division that murdered British journalist James Miller and human rights activists Tom Hurndall & Rachel Corrie.
For the BBC to work with this murderous unit is shameful. To allow uncritical comment from an army when it is committing a war crime is to condone it.
You can stop it. Please protest to your line manager.
[...] Tony Benn to the BBC: “I’m sorry but I’m a human being” January 24, 2009 at 8:05 pm | In Turkmens | Tags: Disasters Emergency Committee’s Appeal, Gaza, Palestine, Stop the War Coalition, Tony Benn Tony Benn, a former Labour MP and the current president of Stop the War Coalition was successful in getting the message across right there at the BBC. For some background on the BBC’s role in this latest round of misery perpetrated against the Palestinian people, see BBC’s Shame. [...]