The BBC’s report on the Eilat suicide bombing reveals the subtle yet insidious attitude of the corporation in its final paragraph:
The last suicide attack was at a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 10 people. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in that time, mainly in the Gaza Strip.
Is the BBC trying to justify or excuse Palestinian terror? Commentator Tom Gross points out much of the international media’s failure “to note that dozens of other would-be bombers have been prevented from entering other parts of Israel in recent months due to Israel’s security fence. The media reports today have also failed to note that rockets continue to be fired almost daily into Israel from the Gaza Strip.”
The BBC report not only lacks this context but appears to go further. If you agree, send your comments to BBC Complaints – http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
DAILY MAIL EDITOR: BBC’S “CULTURAL MARXISM”
The BBC recently came under fire in a lecture by Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, who accused the corporation of “cultural Marxism”. While he did not directly address the BBC’s Israel coverage, Dacre did make some telling comments:
BBC journalism is presented through a leftwing prism that affects everything – the choice of stories, the way they are angled, the choice of interviewees and, most pertinently, the way those interviewees are treated. The BBC’s journalists, protected from real competition, believe that only their worldview constitutes moderate, sensible and decent opinion. Any dissenting views – particularly those held by popular papers – are therefore considered, by definition, to be extreme and morally beyond the pale.
COURT DATE SET FOR BALEN REPORT CASE
The European Jewish Press reports that the High Court will hear arguments on whether the BBC is obligated to make the Balen Report public under the Freedom of Information Act.
In 2004, Malcolm Balen exhaustively examined the BBC’s radio and TV coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His report was never released to the public; however, Sugar, a London lawyer, filed a request under FOI. When the BBC refused, Sugar appealed to the Information Tribunal, which adjudicates FOI disputes. The tribunal ruled in Sugar’s favour, leading to a flood of FOI requests for the Balen Report (including one from HonestReporting, which was also rebuffed).
Surely the BBC’s license fee payers and the public deserve to know what’s contained in the report? High Court proceedings begin March 27 – HR UK will continue to monitor developments.
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