Balance in the media – BBC

[J Surman]

Richard Falk, international lawyer, on his recent experiences with the BBC. I think he just about hits the nail on the head. Where we are we can only watch BBC World News which is incredibly biased on many topics. It's not the first time I've read from journalists saying they agreed to talk with the BBC and then weren't called back or were cut short during their interview.

http://www.countercurrents.org/falk260714.htm

[J Surman]

Here's Jonathan Cook (resident in Palestine) today on 'Where's the BBC scoop on Netanyahu' s big lie?'http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2014-07-26/wheres-bbc-scoop-on-netanyahus-big-lie/

[alanjjohnstone]

Not too much changeshttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jul/27/first-world-war-state-press-reportingTariq Ali also  recently complained that he was due to be interviewed by the BBC but when asked in advance what he would say on air which would be very anti government and anti-Israeli and critical of the BBC, the interview was cancelled at the last moment.Why do we rarely see Chomsky, Finkelstein, or Robert Fisk, a very seasoned Middle East reporter on the BBC.I recall during a Lebanon war, the BBC interviewed a well-spoken Israeli spokesperson but the Hezbullah representive's English was so poor i doubt he understood the questions much less reply effectively in his heavy excruciating accent. But i guess that met the BBC criteria for balance.Some may say New at 10 or Channel 4 news are not much better but we do not pay a special annual tax to maintain these.It has been pointed out that Haaretz, Israel's equivalent to the Guardian, is more critical of the Israeli government than the BBC ever is…although this is disputed by Israel.

[J Surman]

Here we have the BBC withdrawing its own earlier coverage of the downed Malaysian plane in Ukraine:http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0018RYNNU0CuyaiiC9pQ3zMNRATga6ZjZWQUIzIGD2hQj3zC1kVgRKuy1Z5fija6-25rDXHnZ8jjmKzl3K3ZmPz_pddiifR7ygnv6I4n0FjIRd1hDfNJTqDIENrQ-MsnuZs1vNmAnLZPyDuUmPmzUsEVthr7qxY5ZZjCN7-bie2LBUPxDdocmno3SU3Z64YcHgkMMK31qOPjJk5PNap1o4-DCiIbhPf4JL8J2AQq2QWe6CvLQZLoN7MVXI6bhhi3z7esBO3mGR2wUhgXK8gP2eOIsmdAoBHYIjVSVNqulchqAs=&c=smUqXUOW0eMzHHdaOjNneAzSHvhTXCCuVfSL5_UjUp6He0U-v2iMwA==&ch=F3-pGToTVR_PUgO2TSOELnfPzRzkOQLATRBS4ePpuaCOW47OFpR7Jw==or this: http://tinyurl.com/o3ql7j6

[alanjjohnstone]

A new vocabulary for the Gaza warhttp://www.countercurrents.org/podur280714.htm

[alanjjohnstone]

It is incredible the BBC way of reporting.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28578633In regards to the Israeli destruction of a UN school sheltering civilians the BBC headline is "Israel will probe shelling" and if *they*, mind you, find themselves culpable, they will say sorry.And of course the customary caveat"A government spokesman told the BBC: "We have a policy – we don't target civilians" – but tell that to 1300 civilians dead, that they were all just mistakes….It was missed by me but the UK is to send  "full battle group" to Poland to take part in NATO manouvers but of course that rates an aside by the BBC and not a headline.http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-28577904Note "unprepared" is apostrophed, threat isn't which means the BBC concurs that the Russian threat is genuine.

[james19]

  Truth about Gaza that BBC Tried to Suppress (Norman Finkelstein)Published on 14 Jul 2014Unfortunately the BBC refuses to post the interview on its English website, after an explicit promise to do so (possibly due to the fact that Finkelstein accuses the BBC (and the British government) of covering up for Israeli crimes). http://youtu.be/yC2s6eMU3IA

[alanjjohnstone]

I've got a lot of time for Norman Finkelstein. He is no puppet of anybody as seen by his criticism to the Palestinian soldarity's campaign  BDS – Boycott Divest Sanctions – much to the consternation of the "liberals" and "leftists" so i value his opinion as an independent thinker even more. 

[jondwhite]

I like Finkelstein too but I believe Finkelstein also supports a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine, open to be corrected on this though.

[alanjjohnstone]

I think you are right on that.I believe he thinks it is the more realistic option in that Jewish Israelis will not accept a one state solution which means they would be in a minority of the population so no agreement would ever be forthcoming.Its a valid criticism and problem which a couple of our own articles have also mentioned.So the Two-State "bantu-stan" scenario is not viable in creating a real alternative aPalestinian state.This leaves the sad reality that no peace will come until there is wider change in the world…a socialist revolution. Depressing since that likliehood isn't on the cards in the near future but it seems to be the only way the wars will cease recurring….

[J Surman]

Re Finkelstein, I listened to him and 2 others recently on RT's CrossTalk – on TV. You can find it here on line, if you have enough band width: http://rt.com/op-edge/challenging-the-western-media-hegemony/I may be wrong but I seem to remember him saying that it's too late for a 2-state solution and will have to come to a single state, in which the Palestinian Arabs will be the majority.However, one state or two, is not the way to socialism which is what we choose to pursue.Coincidently I caught a few minutes of a discussion this morning on Breaking the Set – also an RT production – with the founder (or one of the founders) of Project Censored talking about bias generally in all US 'big' media. I would say that goes right across the board, probably right around the world. Powerful owners have their own powerful agendas.

[alanjjohnstone]

We all remember how the BBC ended reports from Saddam's Iraq with the qualification that it was under Iraq government restrictions. Less known is that Israel too operates gagging laws on the foreign media that is never acknowledged when reporting. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/01/israels-military-censors-demand-prior-review-nyts-gaza-reportingOf course i believe similar practices is done in Afghanistan where BBC reports were vetted by the army. 

[J Surman]

Here's a good one from FAIR re media hype – I would have to go further and call it lying propaganda, Edward Bernays-style. Bernays (around in the US in the 1930/40s) who felt that  'manipulation of the public was necessary.'  Was he called the father of propaganda? http://www.fair.org/blog/2014/07/29/media-hype-and-gazas-terror-tunnels/Trouble is, (nearly) everything's so full of it now that it's difficult sometimes to find the truth. Staying informed takes a lot of time!

[alanjjohnstone]

We recall the BBC headlines about Hamas refusing ceasefire yet no headlines that the Israeli government have withdrawn from peace talks.It is now being reported that Israel will not send a delegation to Cairo-hosted negotiations for a new truce, which a Palestinian delegation including Hamas officials was also due to attend. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi had announced a ceasefire proposal on Saturday he believed would provide "a real chance to find a real solution to the crisis taking place in the Gaza Strip". No banner headline "Israel Refuses to Talk".As an aside, i note that Hamas statements about not  having an Israeli prisoner appeared to be accepted by the BBC yet their denial for any complicity in the murder of the 3 Israeli youths was treated with suspicion in their reports. I saw one independent analysis that explained with their informers and spies…the Israeli intelligence would have known about any plot to abduct or kill the boys before the Hamas leadership! What seems to have happened that two Hamas went rogue and without orders or permission carried out the murder. These two have been named as suspects by Israel and are still missing. My bet is that Hamas carried out a disciplinary execution of the two, hence their disappearance. There was also little discussion on the fact that while claiming to be searching for the youths, the Israei governement already knew they were dead, from the telephone recording and forensics of the car they found. But they needed the excuse to carry out the raids and capture of Hamas officials…600 detained while the US president wants the release of the Israeli POW, who is now presumed dead in action, probably by friendly fire from Israel themselves.As a blogger, i am in a quandery of how much coverage should be given to the contesting propaganda. One CNN reports desctribes the break down in civil government and rescue and administration …all the Hamas elected officials have disappeared underground from fear of reprisals from Israel so there is little organisation to put into place shelters and aid taking place except by the UN.

[alanjjohnstone]

The French media is little better. And i would hazard a guess that analysis would show a world-wide bias against he Palestnians in reporting.http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/07/gaza-through-distorted-lens-fre-201473111454532885.html

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