BBC refuses to air Gaza charity appeal

[luke]

The BBC’s pact with Israel
Money and ideology behind BBC’s decision not to broadcast Gaza humanitarian appeal

The BBC’s refusal to broadcast a humanitarian appeal for Gaza on behalf of a group of charities is motivated by a desire to appease US advertisers for its commercial TV channel and website, and by Mark Thompson’s own political proclivities.

Many people have been shocked and bewildered by the BBC’s refusal to broadcast a national humanitarian appeal for Gaza on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella organization for 13 humanitarian aid agencies.

However, the decision by the BBC’s director-general, Mark Thompson, not to broadcast the appeal should have come as no surprise. In fact, media observers have been witnessing a steady tilt by the corporation towards Israel since the turn of the millennium.

According to our sources, there are two fundamental reasons for this. The first is the need to boost advertising revenue for the debt-ridden BBC World News television channel, which cannot be seen in the UK. This channel relies heavily on advertisers from the United States who we understand have told the BBC in no uncertain terms that they would advertise with it only if the corporation changed its editorial line on the Arab-Israeli conflict in favour of Israel.

Related to this is the decision by the BBC to introduce advertising on its news website for users outside the UK, bbc.com. Although this had been in the planning since at least 2000, it was introduced only in November 2007. However, we understand that throughout this period BBC executives argued that the corporation must make further changes to its coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict in order to insure that it is on the right side of US advertisers when bbc.com goes commercial.

Thus came the first of a couple of humiliating concessions to Israel by the BBC. In November 2003, the then director of the BBC World Service, Mark Byford, paid a visit to Israel which culminated in “a joint declaration on a commitment to objective coverage of Middle East events” and the appointment by the corporation of a special adviser on Middle East affairs, Mark Balen, to insure that Israel’s viewpoint was always represented, if not given primacy, in news and current affairs coverage. In return, and to save the BBC’s face, Israel agreed to lift a boycott it had instituted after the corporation screened the programme "Israel's Secret Weapon," about Israel's un-inspected nuclear, biological and chemical weapons capabilities.

Before leaving Israel, Mr Byford assured his new Zionist friends that this was not a one-off concession by the BBC. "We will maintain an ongoing dialogue, at senior levels, with all the sides, including the Israeli government, with regard to our coverage," he told his hosts.

Two years later, in November 2005, the director-general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, visited Israel where he held a face-to-face meeting with its then prime minister, Ariel Sharon. According to Guy Adams of the Independent,

Although the diplomatic visit was not publicised [in the UK], it has been seized upon in Israel as evidence that Thompson, who took office in 2004, intends to build bridges with the country's political class.

Sources at the Beeb also suspect that it heralds a "softening" to the corporation's unofficial editorial line on the Middle East.

"This was the first visit of its kind by any serving director general, so it's clearly a significant development," I'm told.

So, it was not without reason that British Health Minister Ben Bradshaw – of all people – urged the BBC to stand up to the Israeli authorities occasionally" and to broadcast the charities’ appeal for Gaza.

Nor was it fantasy on the part of Tony Benn when he said:

I never thought I would live to see [the BBC] refuse to broadcast a humanitarian appeal on the grounds that it was controversial. I know why it is – because [Tzipi] Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, has said there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

But what kind of management would sell the soul of an internationally-respected broadcaster such as the BBC for the sake of a few advertising pennies?

This brings us to the second fundamental reason for the BBC's tilt towards Israel. That is perhaps where Mark Thompson’s ideology – or bias – comes in. According to a BBC insider quoted in the Independent, "Not many people know this, but Mark [Thompson] is actually a deeply religious man. He's a Catholic, but his wife is Jewish, and he has a far greater regard for the Israeli cause than some of his predecessors."

There you have it!

But where does this leave the BBC? Mr Thompson’s refusal to let the BBC air a non-political, humanitarian appeal by a group of charities on behalf of the destitute of Gaza has profoundly, and probably irreversibly, damaged the reputation and integrity of the BBC. Furthermore, by placing the BBC firmly on the side of Israel and its lobbyists in Britain and the US, Mr Thompson has made the BBC and its staff a target for reprisals against Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.

This is particularly bad news for the BBC World Service’s two flagship television channels, BBC Arabic and BBC Persian – the first struggling for a place in the crowded Arab satellite broadcasting environment and the second already facing accusations by the Iranian authorities that it is an agent for subversion.

A self-respecting director-general would resign. But what self-respecting director-general would put a great British institution in this position in the first place?

[Brown Sauce]

a few months ago on the world service tv sports report, they managed to slip in the "iran wants to wipe israel off the map" bs, whilst "reporting" on the iranian footie team ...

it really is outrageous ...

[Brown Sauce]

they've got one daniel finkelstein on the 5 live mayo program just now. A "journalist" from the times, and a lying cunt to boot.

impartiality? ... fuck 'em ..

[faceless]

that finkelstein guy is just scum. People like him would be utterly scuppered if the society which allows them to feel superior to others was changed. He has nothing but his middle-class wankishness to fall back on.

Forward the revolution.

[mickyv]

[luke]

UN nuclear chief boycotts BBC over Gaza appeal

The head of the UN"s nuclear watchdog has cancelled planned interviews with the BBC in protest at the corporation's decision not to air an emergency appeal for Gaza on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee.

In a statement to the Guardian, Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace prize winner, unleashed a stinging denunciation of the BBC, deepening the damage already caused by the controversy.

The statement, from his office at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the BBC decision not to air the aid appeal for victims of the conflict "violates the rules of basic human decency which are there to help vulnerable people, irrespective of who is right or wrong".

It said the IAEA director had cancelled interviews with BBC World Service television and radio, which had been scheduled to take place at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Saturday.

A BBC spokesman said: "We regret that Mr ElBaradei was not able to participate in an interview with the BBC while he is at Davos.

"Our audience around the world remains interested in what he has to say about a range of topics, and we hope he will accept an invitation at another time."

ElBaradei is due to leave his post as the IAEA director general in November.

He won acclaim for his scepticism over western claims that Saddam Hussein was attempting to develop nuclear weapons and his public opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

ElBaradei and the IAEA were awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2005.

Officials in ElBaradei's office said it was unclear how long his boycott of the BBC would last.

A spokeswoman said she expected him to review his position in light of how the corporation eventually resolved the row.

Both the BBC and Sky decided not to air the appeal by the DEC, an umbrella group of non-governmental humanitarian agencies, for aid for Gaza victims.

The appeal was broadcast by ITV, Channel 4, and Channel Five last night, and was watched by a combined audience of 4.5 million.

A voiceover at the beginning of the broadcast said: "This is not about the rights and wrongs of the conflict – these people simply need your help."

The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, said the appeal was not broadcast by the corporation because it would have damaged the impartiality of its coverage of the conflict.

[Brown Sauce]

[faceless]

"We regret that Mr ElBaradei was not able to participate in an interview with the BBC while he is at Davos. Our audience around the world remains interested in what he has to say about a range of topics, and we hope he will accept an invitation at another time."

This comment smacks of the delusion that their audience is theirs alone with a hint of arrogance that it doesn't matter anyway... and since when was Mr ElBaradei not able to take part? He refused point blank for specific reasons. Bloody suitted nametags.

[luke]

Gaza residents launch legal fight to make BBC broadcast aid appeal

Two Gaza residents are using legal threats to try to get the BBC to lift its ban on broadcasting humanitarian aid appeal for victims of the recent conflict.

Clerkenwell-based law firm Hickman & Rose has written a 23-page letter to the BBC seeking to take the corporation to a judicial review unless it airs the Disasters Emergency Committee film.

The letter, headed "Legal challenge to the decision not to broadcast the DEC appeal", has been sent on behalf of three people, two of whom are named as residents of Gaza.

The letter asserts that the BBC decision - made by the director general, Mark Thompson, and top executives - was "irrational or otherwise unlawful" and says it breached the European convention on human rights.

"We have been instructed to write a letter of claim and we are awaiting a substantive response," said a spokeswoman for the law firm.

The letter derailed the BBC Trust's fast-track investigation into the corporation's decision to refuse to broadcast the Gaza appeal.

A special three-person ad hoc BBC Trust committee - chaired by Richard Tait, a former chief executive of ITN, with the trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, and vice-chairwoman Chitra Bharucha - had planned to make recommendations to the full trust board and make an announcement on Thursday.

The BBC Trust said it did not know how long the process would take.

"The delay is regrettable, but of course we take all complaints very seriously," said a BBC Trust spokesman.

The BBC received 21,000 after it refused to show the appeal complaints. BSkyB also refused to broadcast the appeal.

from http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/30/gaza-residents-launch-legal-fight

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BBC halts inquiry into Gaza charity decision after legal challenge

The BBC has been forced to halt an internal investigation into its decision not to broadcast an appeal for the aid effort in Gaza after being threatened with legal action.

The BBC Trust, the corporation’s internal regulator, has been examining 22,000 complaints against the decision by Mark Thompson, the Director-General, not to screen the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal on the grounds that it would compromise the broadcaster's impartiality.

The Trust has been forced to halt its deliberations after being served with a 23-page letter by Hickman & Rose, a North London firm of solicitors, that threatens to take the corporation to judicial review if the BBC does not screen the DEC appeal.

The legal letter, sent on behalf of two residents of Gaza and one British citizen, is understood to allege that the BBC’s decision was “irrational or unlawful”, is “offensive to public feeling” and breaches Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, regarding freedom of expression.

The Trust had hoped to announce a decision on the appeals on Thursday, but insiders believe that it faces a “significant delay” as it consults its own lawyers and prepares a response.

One Trust source said: “We’re very disappointed because we wanted to get this sorted as quickly as we could. By serving us with this legal letter, these people have hampered the process of hearing the appeals we’ve received.”

A spokesman for Hickman & Rose said: “We have been instructed to write a letter of claim and we are awaiting a substantive response.”

The BBC is the only terrestrial broadcaster not to have screened the appeal. Sky, in which News Corporation, the parent company of The Times, has a 39.1 per cent stake, has also refused to transmit it, on similar impartiality grounds.

The DEC appeal raised £3 million in its first week – despite anger over broadcasters’ refusal to show it. DEC said that aid had reached almost 800,000 people with vital supplies of blankets, food, water, sanitation and medical equipment.

from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article5619369.ece

[faceless]

[faceless]

I'll grab this off iPlayer and upload it later...

[faceless]

Here it is - and it's worth watching.

http://couchtripper.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?p=77150

[faceless]

BBC advisor resigns over Gaza appeal ban

London, Feb 10, IRNA -- A member of the BBC's advisory panel on charity appeals has resigned in protest at the broadcaster's refusal to show a coordinated appeal from leading British humanitarian agency for aid following Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.

Niaz Alam, who was appointed to the BBC's Charity Appeals Advisory Committee in 2004, said in his resignation letter he "strongly believed the BBC had made the wrong decision" in refusing to broadcast the appeal from the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

"I strongly wish to register my view that by justifying the decision to block the Gaza appeal on the ground of impartiality, the BBC's director-general has done greater reputational harm by implying that the DEC has not been objective in this case," Alam said.

His letter criticised "the logic of a policy of avoiding appeals that arise out of politically controversial conflicts", saying that this would lead to the BBC ignoring all major humanitarian crises. He also warned that the BBC had done greater harm to its reputation by ignoring the DEC's view that the situation in Gaza was critical and warranted an emergency appeal.

Alam, a former vice-chair of the aid organisation War on Want, said he knew of at least one other committee member who considered resigning over the BBC's decision. "I know that a few members advised the BBC on the nature of the crisis, but not on whether the appeal should be broadcast. I personally was not party to this process," he told Third Sector, the UK’s leading publication for voluntary organizations.

A BBC spokeswoman said that the state-funded broadcaster was aware of thee resignation and thank Alam for his contribution to the work of the charity appeals advisory committee without making further comment.

The DEC appeal for Gaza has been shown on all three of Britain’s other terrestrial channels, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel Five, but not on satellite broadcaster Sky, which supported the BBC’s boycott. No less than 195 MPs in the British parliament have condemned the BBC’s refusal, saying that its excuse that it would jeopardise its editorial impartiality as “unconvincing and incoherent.”

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I only just found this story by chance - well done to Mr Alam.

[luke]

yeah fair play to him, i'd not seen this story

[luke]

Fresh BBC row after reporters asked not to cover Gaza demo
Management forced into U-turn over filming of protest at Scottish HQ

SENIOR BBC Scotland managers were plunged into a new row over trust last week after it emerged the corporation's journalists felt they could not report on a demonstration held inside their own building.

Last month more than 20 demonstrators occupied the foyer of BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay headquarters in protest at the corporation's decision not to broadcast an appeal from the Disasters Emergency Committee on behalf of the people of Gaza. More than 40,000 people complained to the BBC about its decision.

According to one BBC Scotland source, radio journalists were told by editors not to include the demonstration on Radio Scotland's news bulletins - even though other branches of the corporation were reporting the story in full.
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The Pacific Quay sit-in was widely reported across the Scottish media. But on the day itself BBC Scotland journalists were initially asked not to film the demonstrators. When one member of staff did shoot footage on a hand-held camera, they were asked not to upload the film onto the BBC's computers, where it could be accessed by other parts of the corporation. When the member of staff eventually did so, the footage was used by BBC News 24, a source said.

After a period of about an hour and half, a full film crew arrived and shot footage of the demonstration.

Peter Murray, deputy leader of the National Union of Journalists' BBC Scotland branch, said the union had received complaints about the incident which it had passed to management.

He said management claimed the decision not to film was made in an attempt to stop others from copying the protesters and to prevent other groups from trying to occupy the BBC Scotland building in the future.

Murray said: "We can't just stop reporting on social unrest because the reports might encourage people to get involved. If you work in journalism it's your job to report these things. We can't go checking with the authorities before you go out on a story."

Murray said BBC managers in London were handed a petition on Friday signed by around 400 staff, protesting at the decision not to show the appeal.

Penny Howard, a 31-year-old student who was among those who occupied Pacific Quay, said BBC Scotland reporters told her they were asked to stay inside the newsroom while the protest was under way.

She said she was in no doubt that her group's actions were newsworthy. She said: "We were in there for about three hours and I spent the entire time on the phone to different news outlets. I did interviews with Al-Jazeera, CNN, CBS, the Washington Post, The New York Times. PA the Press Association wire service put a story together and it got picked up all over the place.

"We were amazed by the attention we received. This incident just goes to show how biased BBC Scotland is," said Howard.

A BBC Scotland spokesman said there had been a "slight confusion" over a delay in covering the story as mangers decided the best way of doing so. He said the delay was lengthened "because it was a Sunday and many of the conversations with managers were had over the telephone".

He said the delay was a "normal thing" and the "misconception" was rectified by Atholl Duncan, the head of news, who later sent a note around the newsroom saying the occupation story should be covered in the context of overall controversy surrounding the BBC's decision not to show the appeal.

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2490911.0.fresh_bbc_row_after_reporters_asked_not_to_cover_gaza_demo.php