The closed thought system of the BBC

Wonderkid

Indeed, and only today with Bush's comments, the BBC have given little room to the President's call to Arab nations to show some good will to Israel. And Jeremy Bowen's report from Bush's motorcade as it crossed check points, failed to mention why the check points existed or that the Palestinian economy is hurting due to it's own failures, not Israel's doings.

Alcuin

Absolutely right, but what can we do about it? It is quite clear that the BBC's own feedback pages make virtually no difference - if they even publish comments that are "off message". Last night on Newsnight a discussion on Iraq pitched David Frum against George Galloway. Why on earth the BBC thinks this odious creature has any credibility left is a mystery to me. All GG did was to keep on about the "million" Iraqis whose blood was "on the hands of US Neocons". Quite hopeless, and typical of the vile agenda being pursued by David Barron.

Adam B.

The BBC is an absolute disgrace. The problem of bias against the Jewish State has existed for years at the BBC,from Barbara Plett's tears on the demise of the inventor of modern terrorism Arafat, to the distorted and deliberately selective reporting of Orla Guerin and Jeremy Bowen, who can never bring themselves to say the word "terrorist" when the victims are Israeli(it might offend terrorists). Indeed, the BBC's refusal to release the Balen report confirms it has something to hide. And we all pay for the privilege of this garbage with the compulsory and outdated licence fee.

Terry

I listen to the BBC World Servce here in Australia. Good sports coverage. Is the rest of it diectly sourced from Al Jazeera, or does Al Jazeera management merely write it all for the beeb 'journos' to read out?

George Steiner

I suspect that the BBC is essentially chasing its ratings. For the vast majority of its listeners, foreign and dimestic, anti-American and anti-Israel views and reporting are popular. This is true for the MSM in the US and Canada as well. Can anything be done about it? No. For low grade listeners accept low grade reporting.

Frank Pulley

The blog 'Biased BBC' have highlighted the bloody minded bias of our National Broadcasting Service for several years now. It seems to have little effect. You, Melanie, have drawn attention to it for as long as I can remember and I suspect that you have, as a regular contributor to BBC programmes on both radio and tv, made direct representations to very senior people at the Corporation without any success. Regular senior staff from within the organisation have admitted to the 'mind set', yet nothing changes. It seems likely that they get away with it because the vast majority of punters have been gulled into believing, because of it's once impeccable reputation as the global voice of democracy that it still tells the truth. Nobody seems to have the solution to this. Does anyone know what the demographic staistics are of people who watch BBC news and current affairs programmes? More omportantly, how many of those that do really give a tinker's cuss about what is reported. There's the rub.

george

The BBC has to a large extent been subverted to the mindset of the Foreign office that sees the existence of Israel as an impediment to the smooth flow of business relations with the Arab world. its duty is to vilify Israel and subvert public opinion so that eventually if Israel is destroyed, there will be a minimum of public outrage. What the BBC fails to understand is that if Israel should be anhillated Britain and america will lose their positions at the top of the Gulf State preferential customers list and will be surpassed by the likes of China and others. BBC staff are recruited through ultra left wing publications whose readers have already been indoctrinated and coerced through their university education into strongly negative opinions about Israel. The BBc does not even have to 'educate' them

Bo Stenberg

Hate to break it to you, but although the Beeb may retain credibility in the chattering sections of the West End, it is now the subject of derisive laughter in the rest of the world--where BBC-supplied 'reporting' is invariably not even close....

Brian Williamson

Watching Jeremy Bowen's performance last night as he enumerated Israel's persecution of poor Palestinians, the fence, the border checks etc. without one mention of the constant stream of rockets into Israel, the never ending internecine warfare between Palestinian, the threats of obliterating Israel, was by now classic. It was, putting it mildly a disgusting show of partisan politics by our supposedly impartial licence fee funded broadcaster. Who will rid us of these meddlesome priests?

roGER

The only solution is to appoint Melanie Philips as the sole arbiter of BBC news in the Middle East. Only Mel has the objectivity and sensitivity to Israel's special needs. Only Mel is objective. Long live Mel.

phil

why oh why do the BBC have to give air time to galloway -who just pours out venom and distortions -newsnight should be our flagship for topical matters and it regularly puts out sheer sensationalism for what purpose? -ratings!!does this latest rubbish help the middle east to find a path to peace -no never whilst people like galloway can inflame the less informed -shame on them

Stuart

And on cue http://theymadeitup.squarespace.com/the-latest-news-and-discussion/2008/1/11/al-manar-tv-palestinian-tv-bbc-jeremy-bowen-birds-of-a-feath.html & http://theymadeitup.squarespace.com/the-latest-news-and-discussion/2008/1/10/der-sturmer-on-bush-and-israel-sorry-bbc.html . BBC and Bowen on Bush in Israel. No true historical context will skew history for those who don't know.

wonderer

It's a pity Honest Reporting hasn't been in existence longer because the BBC bias it draws attention to has been there for many years. The interviewer should have stopped Galloway when he said the Palestinians had no weapons other than AK47s, whereas we have seen on our screens Hamas terrorists running around Gaza with RPGs. People forget that Israel was required under the Oslo Accords to arm Arafat's police force, with weapons btw that were used against Israelis not long afterwards. Israel was hardly likely to supply Soviet model weapons. That's not to say AK47s weren't smuggled in by terrorists later.

Harry Templeton

Withdraw their licence monopoly.

Irene Lancaster

Do you mean Pete Barron of Newsnight, who also rubbished Dr. Denis MacEoin's excellent report on the type of hate-filled literature coming out of Britain's mosques? It is a known fact that the BBC receives threats from Muslim groups every time they even try to be fair-minded. As for Jeremy Bowen, agreed to meet me in Israel and then changed his mind, making some sort of fatuous excuse. Same with Simon Wilson, the previous Head of the Middle East Bureau here. He cancelled six times, once at the very last minute.

korova

Mmmm, interesting. How would you propose that the following be reported: "‘Children killed in Israeli strike’ (the children were playing next to a rocket launcher)" Regardless of where the children are, surely their death is the story?

korova

Oh yes, and love the headline: "The closed thought system of the BBC" Possible parallel with the closed thought system of Melanie Phillips?? How else can you describe someone who refuses to consider even the remotest possiblity that maybe, just maybe, humans are responsible for global warming. Melanie, you are the queen of the 'closed thought system'.

Jim

The BBC's reporting on Israel is a particular example of a general bias against the West. The BBC is anti-white, anti-male and anti-heterosexual, and its reports don't just incite hatred of Israelis and Jews but of white Westerners in general. You can imagine how much it would be making of this horrific case if the races were reversed: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/7179508.stm

Austin Barry

Although it is the parasitic megaphone of the appeasement weasels of the liberal elite, the BBC does, for valid historical reasons, accrue considerable respect around the world. That's not likely to change until its public funding is withdrawn and its global reach begins to atrophy.

john

If it were only the BBC - CNN and others are just the same - its got that I cannot watch these channels without exploding with anger at the constant lies that they spew out - THERE WILL BE A RECKONING !!

Manuel

Whilst the British viewer and listener, and indeed the rest of the world where the BBC is watched/listened, is being spoon-fed BBC "wish list" propoganda relating to Israel and its terrorist neighbours, one shudders to think of the disasterous and distorted effect this is having on opinions relating not only to this issue but also on attitudes relating to muslim demands and extreemism/terror against the enlightened western nations and on other left wing BBC hobby horses like so called 'global warming'. The BBC dismisses all complaints of its uneven handed reporting as a figment of the complainer's imagination. Two things need to happen, the corporation should shed its overbearing left wing news & current affairs staff and abolish the TV Licence Fee that is dripped into its coffers to use as it sees fit without consideration of its place in the market.

Beedeekay.

As bad as the BBC is, and it is indeed very, very bad, what makes it so much worse is the fact that we have to pay for it. I can choose not to buy the Guardian or the Independant but I cannot choose not to pay for the Biased Broadcasting Corporation and that is just not right.

Ben-Tsiyon

On Alcuin's "Why on earth the BBC thinks this odious creature has any credibility left is a mystery to me.", it's because the BBC and the people it recruits share the substance of his views. The disease is such that even supposedly intelligent and talented people are eager to swallow and digest the crazy Zionist conspiracy theories that are today being given even greater publicity, as Galloway was so quick to demonstrate. Note also that Galloway was allowed to have the last word in that interview. I'm pleased to note, john, that I'm not alone in "exploding with anger at the constant lies..", but the BBC is an old hand and past master at dishing them out. It's been going on for years; during the Balkans troubles, the Serbs were subjected to the same kind of biased treatment by the BBC.

J. Isaacs

What everyone else said, except korova the Russian cow.

M B Clyde

I refuse to pay my licence fee. It's a political protest. Come and get me if you will. But it's like the devil, the investigators cannot force their way into your house, you have to let them in across your threshold. The sins of the BBC are manifold. It's not just the biased reporting but the monopoly they have over so many areas of information, like publishing and educational products. My husband produces educational software for deaf children. A couple of years ago a contract was given out by the government to the BBC to produce some material for deaf children to be put on the BBC's webpages and my husband's excellent independently produced material was held up as a badge of excellence and the kind of thing the BBC wished to produce. Did the BBC ever contact my husband and suggest he tender? No. They contacted all their usual luvvies and one contacted my husband offering to partner with him but it became obvious he only wished to use the name to win the contract. There were calls from umpteen struggling independent educational publishers (it's not exactly a fat-cat field) that the BBC was using its position to create an unfair monopoly to put independents out of business. It was not just deaf publishing but many other fields as well. There was an appeal to EU against this unfair monopoly and thankfully (the EU occasionally comes up with the goods) they won their case and the BBC had to pull the plug on all their luvvies projects. But not before MILLIONS of tax payers money was spent on this. Did the BBC report on this? No. Sadly neither did any other network who clearly never even got to find out this was going on. The criticism of the BBC grows but nothing short of a cultural revolution will get rid of this poison at the heart of our national life.

M B Clyde

Further to my last, can I just point out what an appalling tragedy it would be if the BBC gets the monopoly over all educational publishing and is the sole source for the national curriculum. This means the Ministry of Thought will control the next generation of minds.

Nigel

A mass boycott of paying the licence fee?

John

At least the Americans are not fooled by the BBC. They constantly refer to their anti american bias. Time this licence fee fiasco was stopped.

korova

"They constantly refer to their anti american bias." Hilarious, conspiratorial nonsense. Many, many influential people at the BBC are also members of the British American Project for the Successor Generation. A pro-American, pro-capitalist group. How does that fit in with an anti-American BBC?

J. Isaacs

What everyone else said, except korova the blind deaf Russian cow.

Max Kaye

Can anyone advise whether the BBC's suppressed Balen Report can be obtained by the Freedom of Information act?

Thanks.

Steve

I want to stop paying for the BBC but still want to watch DVD films. It is now impossible to buy a screen without a tuner installed.

Mladen Andrijasevic

The BBC is being BBC (only YNET and BBC links are still valid) YNET Hamas: We'll target schools http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3270120,00.html JERUSALEM POST Izzadin al-Kassam threaten to attack schools, power stations http://www.jpost.com/ HA'ARETZ Hamas threatens to attack Israeli schools if IDF incursion into Gaza continues http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/733634.html BBC Hamas threatens attacks in Israel http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5139108.stm

Rev Goat Boy

Just In Case anyone forgets in all this BBC bashing that your that until very recently your hero Melanie Philips husband Joshua Rosenberg was legal affairs correspondent at the BBC. I wonder if that could be in anyway related to all this BBC bashing? Husband spurned at work passed over for promotion that sort of thing wife takes it out on his employers on her blog. No more crackpot that most of the wacky theories I read on this site.

Yuriy

I want to stop paying license fee. Those who don't want to pay, should just agree on date. Say if the issue with Balen report isn't clarified till certain date, we stop paying because BBC violates regulations on impartiality. If several millinos stop paying, it will be good lesson anyway. I still remember times when Al-Jazeera style cartouche wasn't attached to the moving logo of the BBC. It is shown every half hour. It appeared, roughly, after 7/7. It is quite possible that BBC is blackmailed, bribed or intimidted by Islamists, or all of the above. But conspiracy theories don't matter. They are lying, that's enough, I don't want to keep paying them for lying to me.

Roger

When I watch Fox News, I sometimes have to remind myself why I am doing so. It's to try to counter the Biased Broadcasting Corporation's slanted view of the world, which I try to balance by watching other slants. You'd think BBC's Palestine reporting would have improved after the transfer of the permanently-depressed countenance of Ola Guerin to South Africa. Mind you, I do forgive Ola some of her countenance, she did handle reporting from Chechnya. I do not for a moment think that all Israelis are without fault, but the next time I see the local Palestinian supporters collecting funds here in Hereford, I shall go up to them (my wife has begged me not to do this in the past) and say I agree there should be a Palestine homeland and peace in the region, all their heroes have to do is disarm and recognise Israel. As someone once remarked, "If the Arabs disarm, there will be no more war; if Israel disarms, there will be no more Israel."

gentile

After all these hammas rocket attacks on Israeli settlements I remember seeing a BBC reporter standing next to "recently" Bomb damaged building by Israelis jets in Gaza, the demolished remains if the building had a sapling tree and some grass growing out of the rubble pile ! And how nice of the alleged victims to carry around cuddly toys such as teddy bears (probably not named mohammad) to scatter at the scene (just for effect) of the alleged carnage involving arab children caused by the Jews. Cowardly and rather predictably hammas terrorists had been hiding behind children and women in a school yard with their rocket launchers at the time.

Ben-Tsiyon

I've just listened to the BBC's 'ace' Middle East foreign correspondent, Jeremy Bowen on Radio4's 'From Our Own Correspondent'. The message he so forcefully rammed down our ear-tubes: Make no mistake, President Bush has clearly stated that the Israeli 'occupation' must end, and since this comes from the President of the United States, it cannot be ignored (he means: by Israel). Not a word on what the President said about actions expected of the 'Palestinians'. Bowen's tone of voice and manner of delivery of his party piece clearly shows that he was the Biased Broadcasting Corporation's perfect recruit.

J. Isaacs

Melanie Phillips and Co. are doing a really grand job, especially by getting Goat Boy's goat.

Nicholas Storey

Over a year ago, I wrote a letter to the Office of Fair Trading asking that they consider whether, in the light of all the competition that exists in fact, the maintenance of the BBC licence fee is an unjustifiable anti-competitive practice. They acknowledged receipt of the complaint and then (as with another complaint that I made to it before) they just let it die. The trouble with institutions in modern britain is that they back each other up, from local authority councillors to the top of the shop, to the extent that one feels that a form of corruption is the daily standard for local and national government, which all seem to be manned by twisters. The first complaint that I made concerned a practice of the Bar Council. That one also died - and, oh yes, the head of the OFT at the time was a member of the Bar Council.

korova

Those who doubt the BBC's true 'bias' (pro-American etc etc) might like to read examples such as these: http://www.medialens.org/alerts/07/070601_illegal_immoral_unwinnable.php http://www.medialens.org/alerts/07/070926_i_fascist_robot.php Notice particularly Gavin Esler's absolute devotion to Ronald Reagan. Only a blind fool would think that the BBC does anything other than protect the US/UK axis. And there seems to be plenty of those here.

wonderer

In answer to Max Kaye, an attempt was made through the courts to get the BBC to disclose the Balen report. It failed, essentially on a technicality if I remember correctly. I don't go along with Rev Goat Boy's idea that Melanie is motiviated by spite on account of Joshua Rozenberg's job move. For all we know the Telegraph, where he now is, may be better. btw Melanie was criticising the BBC on ME matters long before JR's job move. Also, she appears on the BBC herself, which, to be fair, does the BBC some credit, I'm reluctant to admit. And, come clean,Rev Goat Boy, you are just Archbish Rowan W using a pseudonym, aren't you?

Austin Barry

Living in Ireland we get all the BBC Channels, but don't pay any licence fee. Seems a tad unfair.

Fred

I too had been brought up to believe that "Heard on the BBC" was synonymous with the truth. These days they are merely the propaganda department for a would-be Stalinist government.

David

As a young innocent many years ago, I naively believed that what "was in the paper, heard on the news" etc, was true. It was when I saw factual errors in items that I had knowledge of, that my view changed. That once respected BBC is guilty of the same lazy incompetenceor is it simply a case of showing their bias to a widespread audience who relies on it for supposed "information".

J. Isaacs

What everyone else said, except korova, the blind deaf, US/UK "axis" hating, dead President referential, Stalinist Russian cow.

Bo Stenberg

My friends, it is time to stop bitching and face the fact--the Islamists won Rounds 4 through 6 of the Propaganda War. Your job now is to see how they did it. The merits of the case may be interesting but, as with facts in general, irrelevant. (Tips: you never give up on first principles...and the more emotional/hysterical, the better....please proceed.)

Graeme Thompson

The question is raised 'how to end BBC bias' and restore it (well bit too nostalgic here) to what an African tribesman once said was 'the truth spoken by gentlemen'. The only way the BBC will ever be salvaged from its current 'Ministry of Thought' (great phrase M/s Lancaster!) incarnation is if a political party seeks an electoral mandate to do so. This will never be sought by a party of the left as they obviously benefit from BBC bias (not to say there are not people on the left who are sincere democrats and have the confidence in their beliefs to want to contest them on a level playing field, there just aren't that many it seems!). The only way it will happen is if the Conservative Party does it, which it wont, because it chooses to be oh so post-modern clever and pander to the left-wing bias instead and lose itself up it itself. A Democratic Alliance could be formed to highlight this amongst many other threats to British democracy that might remind the Conservative Party of its name and make sincere democrats on the left more vocal, but is there the will or the way to do this? Do enough people care? I fear not. Life is to comfortable to rock the boat. I feel British democracy, and democracy everywhere is dying a slow death. The first act of any revolution is to take over the means of communication, and this is something the anti-democratic left have succeeded in doing without firing a shot.

BJ

I suspected that a website called "Honest Reporting" was just a pro-Israel nut site based in the US. And surprise surprise I was right! Look at their section on "history" for a good laugh. The BBC is far from perfect but receives criticism from both sides on this issue. Let's face would you want an alternative like Fox News?

Adam B.

BJ, perhaps you could enlighten me where HonestReporting's history is incorrect? This excellent website offers information you won't hear on the BBC because it doesn't fit the BBC's "it's all the fault of the Jews" agenda. The BBC spouts the most disgusting, vile lies about Israel on a regular basis, but this isn't a problem to you. Your implication that the BBC is impartial because both sides criticize it is truly absurd. The BBC has never objectively analysed the Middle East, and has been hostile to the Jewish State since its birth. Your bizarre assertion that being pro-Israel makes you a "nut" says a lot about your own prejudice.

Kirkby Stephen

It is time for a major item of reform. The statutory tasks of the BBC are to inform, to educate and to entertain. The requirement that the BBC provide entertainment must be ended forthwith. The BBC and its taxation-derived funds are now (incongruously) dominated by the so-called "show business industry" and theatrical managers and performers. Let the BBC now supply ONLY the bread (information & education) and leave the supply of circuses exclusively to others who do not parasitize our taxation.

Frank Pulley

Kirkby Stephen Agree wholeheartedly wih your solution, but the word parasitize? Surely the Yanks and the Queen of England have now settled any residual grudges dating back to pre 1776 and there is no longer any need to publicly strangulate Her Majesty's language - at least not on a British Blog.

Andy Gill

Little by little the credibility of the BBC is being eroded, and its influence is being diminished. Alternative media, in aprticular the Internet, are now the preferred sources of news for many, especially the younger generation, and over time we may see the BBC lose its position as "the first amongst equals", and become just another news outlet. The essential thing for now is to accelerate that process, and keep up the pressure by exposing the BBC's shameful bias at every available opportunity.

Frank Pulley

Andy Gill You say: "Alternative media, in particular the Internet, are now the preferred sources of news for many, especially the younger generation ..." Yes. Youngsters in their mid-70s like me find it very useful and informative. You talk as though the 'younger generation' is interested in news and current affairs, rather than the real purpose of the internet for them, viz. to download cacophony, chat to strangers in cyberargot and watch porn.

Lars Dane

Why are we not surprised at all? Where are the Brits who are able to se totalitarian systems and resist them? Has BBC forgotten absolutely everything about past history?

Riddiford

Does anybody know why the EU BBC does not have by-lines on its articles ? Surely it would be more honest and even transparent . I have asked the BBC but "its not our policy "is all you get.

Robin

The BBC voluntarily subjected itself to a third party audit on its bias or lack of it, back in 2006 or 2007. The result was that, apart from some minor criticisms, the BBC is usually very fair and unbiased, although sometimes a little biased for Israel. Yes folks! For Israel!. Please tell me which other public or private media company in the world has subjected itself to such an audit. The Jerusalem Post? FOX news? The New York Times? Of course NOT. They continue to give biased accounts about "poor little Israel" and its big bad neighbours. The Beeb continues to be a fine British institution, something we should be proud of. Its critics are small minded people.

Robin

To paraphrase that great Englishman, Sir Winston Churchill: The BBC is absolutely the worst, most biased mass media company in the world. Except for all the rest".