Selected instances of BBC's misrepresentation of facts & news items (from a very long list of documented and reported events...)
To prove that BBC has over the years was indeed engaged in instances of deliberately misinforming the world at large we give below a few of the many instances as proof of BBC's deliberate misrepresentation of facts and news items across the world. Contrary to the practices of the BBC we provide the sources of information for our readers to verify!
1. BBC accused of wasting license fee in battle to suppress 'Mid-East' bias report
By PAUL REVOIR (Last updated at 20:51 25 January 2008)
The BBC has spent an estimated œ250,000 in licence-fee cash on a court battle to block publication of a report into its alleged bias when covering the Middle East.
The expensive saga was prompted by a member of the public who has repeatedly tried to force the document's release under the Freedom of Information Act. Yesterday the broadcaster fought off a renewed attempt to force public disclosure of the so-called Balen Report.
But anger is growing over the corporation's secrecy ? and the amount of money which has already been soaked up by the case. Apart from wasting money, the BBC has also been accused of hypocrisy since its staff regularly use the Freedom of Information Act to source news stories. More can be read at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-510461/BBC-accused-wasting-licence-fee-battle-suppress-Mid-East-bias-report.html
However, in summary, the report goes to say that it is fought in court and that BBC may have to pay large amounts of legal fees - especially at a time 1,800 jobs were being axed!!!
2. BBC panel finds broadcaster breached guidelines on Israel
By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent
In reporting about Israel, BBC's Middle East Editor has breached the corporation's guideline on accuracy and impartiality, an internal BBC complaints panel on Wednesday stated.
The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland said that the findings show that the BBC has an anti-Israel "bias" and that the position of the editor, Jeremy Bowen, is "untenable." The corporation rejected these claims.
"The findings are extremely serious," Jonathan Hoffman, the Federation's co-vice chair, told Haaretz. "They demand urgent and visible action by the BBC to restore public confidence. The BBC should start by publishing the Balen Report, which it has spent five years and a reported œ200,000 trying to keep under wraps." (Refer http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1078501.html)
3. BBC false report earns WFP apology to Sri Lanka (Thursday, December 11, 2008 - 3.46 GMT)
The World Food Program in Sri Lanka has apologized to the Government of Sri Lanka over a grossly false comment on the country by one of its officers broadcast by the BBC, describing Sri Lanka as a Somalia.
The Country Director of the WFP in Sri Lanka, Mr. Adnan Khan yesterday (Dec 10) made the apology at a meeting with Secretary of Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, over a story on the BBC Sinhala Service that quoted an officer of the WFP, one John Campbell who works for the WFP in non-liberated areas, about the IDPs in the North stating that "conditions for displaced people there are as basic as in Somalia".
The WFP's Country Director has told the Secretary MoD that an inquiry would be launched into this matter and an official statement issued on it.
Refer:
http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca200812/20081211bbc_false_report_earns_wfp_apology.htm
4. BBC chief at centre of blunder over Leibovitz photoshoot with Queen
From Times Online (July 12, 2007)
The BBC was forced to defend one of its top bosses tonight after he wrongly claimed that the Queen had "walked out in a huff" during fly-on-the-wall documentary, leading to a humiliating apology by the corporation to the Royal Family.
Apparently, the scene which purported to show the Queen storming out of the room was, in fact, a shot of her walking into the photoshoot - and that the alleged walkout never happened. After initially apologizing at lunchtime today, the BBC tonight issued a fresh statement trying to explain what it said was a miscommunication.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2064329.ece
5. BBC Guilty of Venality in Its Misreporting on Venezuela
By Stephen Lendman, Global Research, October 12, 2006
Listeners and viewers expecting to find a safe alternative to the corporate-controlled media by turning to the BBC better reconsider their choice based on the vaunted news organization's reporting on Venezuela and specifically on the misinformation it put out in an online piece on October 8 titled - "Mass Venezuela opposition rally." It claims "Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in support of the main opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales."
If readers of this piece just went to VHeadline.com, they'd have gotten a much different picture - from the actual photo of those "tens of thousands" that, in fact, may have been all of a single ten thousand or so in the streets in a show of tepid support at best and not what anyone would call "mass." Shame on BBC and its reporter in Caracas Greg Morsbach for lying for the power interests he serves, so he reports what they want put out even if it's not true.
Based in Caracas for the BBC, correspondent Morsbach must know a massive crowd when he sees one as Hugo Chavez draws them every time he addresses a rally that routinely turns out en masse in a tsunami of red-shirted supporters to see, hear and cheer him. He surely can tell the difference between a huge Chavez crowd and the puny one for Mr. Rosales on October 8, many of whom were likely just on the Caracas streets and curious to see what was going on. BBC must think this kind of misreporting is the way to maintain a gilt-edged reputation as a reliable news service. The sad truth is that reputation got tarnished many years ago and went to pieces in the shameless reporting the UK-based news organization did in the run-up to the Iraq war when it's entire news operation went into overdrive functioning as a state propaganda service for our government and theirs.
The article tells of how the BBC deliberately misinformed the world by saying that the masses gathered for Rosales, when in fact it was for Hugo Chavez. This is ample proof of the political bias of the BBC. Read it at http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=3456
6. BBC indicted as accessory to war crimes in Istanbul
David Miller - Unspun
The World Tribunal on Iraq has indicted media organisations, including the BBC for their role in aiding and abetting US and UK war crimes in Iraq. The World Tribunal received scant attention in the Western media and there have been no headlines reporting the findings on the media. The Tribunal issued its findings on 27th June after a gruelling and harrowing four day session hearing evidence. The charges laid 'Against the Major Corporate Media' were as follows:
1. Disseminating the deliberate falsehoods spread by the governments of the US and the UK and failing to adequately investigate this misinformation. This even in the face of abundant evidence to the contrary. Among the corporate media houses that bear special responsibility for promoting the lies about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, we name the New York Times, in particular their reporter Judith Miller, whose main source was on the payroll of the CIA. We also name Fox News, CNN and the BBC.
2. Failing to report the atrocities being committed against Iraqi people by the occupying forces.
The news article states As the Tribunal noted 'The legitimacy of the World Tribunal on Iraq is located in the collective conscience of humanity', and that Spinwatch took part in the evidence sessions and made several charges as well. With regard to BBC it stated, quote "The BBC is indicted for unbalanced coverage, for failing to access experts who would give a critical view; failure to access the anti war movement; showing very little scepticism about government claims; bowing under government pressure." Unquote.
The full report can be read at http://www.spinwatch.org.uk/blogs-mainmenu-29/david-miller-unspun-mainmenu-31/3193-bbc-indicted-as-accessory-to-war-crimes-in-istanbul
The list for BBC's false reporting and misrepresenting of facts is endless. A few other articles can be read at the following locations:
* Fears of bias as BBC gets œ141m in EU loans, by Jonathan Oliver, Political Editor, From The Sunday Times (January 27, 2008) :
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3257748.ece
* BBC - Allegations of bias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC
* 'Hunter': A Shameless BBC misrepresentation, posted by Assistant Editor in Abortion Articles, News on 28 January 2009. http://prolife.org.uk/hunter-a-shameless-bbc-misrepresentation/
* BBC misrepresents Iranian nuclear story :
http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=4&x_outlet=12&x_article=1527
* BBC investigated after peer says climate change programme was biased 'one-sided polemic', by Tamara Cohen (Last updated at 2:54 AM on 27th September 2008):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1063110/BBC-investigated-peer-says-climate-change-programme-biased-sided-polemic.html
* BBC Corrects False Report, by Ricki Hollander and Maxime Myer-Smith (March 11, 2008)- an article of how BBC seems to have reported on how a house had been plundered to the ground and of tampered / adulterated photos.
http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=4&x_outlet=12&x_article=1464
And the list goes on!!!!
To prove that BBC has over the years was indeed engaged in instances of deliberately misinforming the world at large we give below a few of the many instances as proof of BBC's deliberate misrepresentation of facts and news items across the world. Contrary to the practices of the BBC we provide the sources of information for our readers to verify!
1. BBC accused of wasting license fee in battle to suppress 'Mid-East' bias report
By PAUL REVOIR (Last updated at 20:51 25 January 2008)
The BBC has spent an estimated œ250,000 in licence-fee cash on a court battle to block publication of a report into its alleged bias when covering the Middle East.
The expensive saga was prompted by a member of the public who has repeatedly tried to force the document's release under the Freedom of Information Act. Yesterday the broadcaster fought off a renewed attempt to force public disclosure of the so-called Balen Report.
But anger is growing over the corporation's secrecy ? and the amount of money which has already been soaked up by the case. Apart from wasting money, the BBC has also been accused of hypocrisy since its staff regularly use the Freedom of Information Act to source news stories. More can be read at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-510461/BBC-accused-wasting-licence-fee-battle-suppress-Mid-East-bias-report.html
However, in summary, the report goes to say that it is fought in court and that BBC may have to pay large amounts of legal fees - especially at a time 1,800 jobs were being axed!!!
2. BBC panel finds broadcaster breached guidelines on Israel
By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent
In reporting about Israel, BBC's Middle East Editor has breached the corporation's guideline on accuracy and impartiality, an internal BBC complaints panel on Wednesday stated.
The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland said that the findings show that the BBC has an anti-Israel "bias" and that the position of the editor, Jeremy Bowen, is "untenable." The corporation rejected these claims.
"The findings are extremely serious," Jonathan Hoffman, the Federation's co-vice chair, told Haaretz. "They demand urgent and visible action by the BBC to restore public confidence. The BBC should start by publishing the Balen Report, which it has spent five years and a reported œ200,000 trying to keep under wraps." (Refer http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1078501.html)
3. BBC false report earns WFP apology to Sri Lanka (Thursday, December 11, 2008 - 3.46 GMT)
The World Food Program in Sri Lanka has apologized to the Government of Sri Lanka over a grossly false comment on the country by one of its officers broadcast by the BBC, describing Sri Lanka as a Somalia.
The Country Director of the WFP in Sri Lanka, Mr. Adnan Khan yesterday (Dec 10) made the apology at a meeting with Secretary of Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, over a story on the BBC Sinhala Service that quoted an officer of the WFP, one John Campbell who works for the WFP in non-liberated areas, about the IDPs in the North stating that "conditions for displaced people there are as basic as in Somalia".
The WFP's Country Director has told the Secretary MoD that an inquiry would be launched into this matter and an official statement issued on it.
Refer:
http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca200812/20081211bbc_false_report_earns_wfp_apology.htm
4. BBC chief at centre of blunder over Leibovitz photoshoot with Queen
From Times Online (July 12, 2007)
The BBC was forced to defend one of its top bosses tonight after he wrongly claimed that the Queen had "walked out in a huff" during fly-on-the-wall documentary, leading to a humiliating apology by the corporation to the Royal Family.
Apparently, the scene which purported to show the Queen storming out of the room was, in fact, a shot of her walking into the photoshoot - and that the alleged walkout never happened. After initially apologizing at lunchtime today, the BBC tonight issued a fresh statement trying to explain what it said was a miscommunication.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2064329.ece
5. BBC Guilty of Venality in Its Misreporting on Venezuela
By Stephen Lendman, Global Research, October 12, 2006
Listeners and viewers expecting to find a safe alternative to the corporate-controlled media by turning to the BBC better reconsider their choice based on the vaunted news organization's reporting on Venezuela and specifically on the misinformation it put out in an online piece on October 8 titled - "Mass Venezuela opposition rally." It claims "Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in support of the main opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales."
If readers of this piece just went to VHeadline.com, they'd have gotten a much different picture - from the actual photo of those "tens of thousands" that, in fact, may have been all of a single ten thousand or so in the streets in a show of tepid support at best and not what anyone would call "mass." Shame on BBC and its reporter in Caracas Greg Morsbach for lying for the power interests he serves, so he reports what they want put out even if it's not true.
Based in Caracas for the BBC, correspondent Morsbach must know a massive crowd when he sees one as Hugo Chavez draws them every time he addresses a rally that routinely turns out en masse in a tsunami of red-shirted supporters to see, hear and cheer him. He surely can tell the difference between a huge Chavez crowd and the puny one for Mr. Rosales on October 8, many of whom were likely just on the Caracas streets and curious to see what was going on. BBC must think this kind of misreporting is the way to maintain a gilt-edged reputation as a reliable news service. The sad truth is that reputation got tarnished many years ago and went to pieces in the shameless reporting the UK-based news organization did in the run-up to the Iraq war when it's entire news operation went into overdrive functioning as a state propaganda service for our government and theirs.
The article tells of how the BBC deliberately misinformed the world by saying that the masses gathered for Rosales, when in fact it was for Hugo Chavez. This is ample proof of the political bias of the BBC. Read it at http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=3456
6. BBC indicted as accessory to war crimes in Istanbul
David Miller - Unspun
The World Tribunal on Iraq has indicted media organisations, including the BBC for their role in aiding and abetting US and UK war crimes in Iraq. The World Tribunal received scant attention in the Western media and there have been no headlines reporting the findings on the media. The Tribunal issued its findings on 27th June after a gruelling and harrowing four day session hearing evidence. The charges laid 'Against the Major Corporate Media' were as follows:
1. Disseminating the deliberate falsehoods spread by the governments of the US and the UK and failing to adequately investigate this misinformation. This even in the face of abundant evidence to the contrary. Among the corporate media houses that bear special responsibility for promoting the lies about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, we name the New York Times, in particular their reporter Judith Miller, whose main source was on the payroll of the CIA. We also name Fox News, CNN and the BBC.
2. Failing to report the atrocities being committed against Iraqi people by the occupying forces.
The news article states As the Tribunal noted 'The legitimacy of the World Tribunal on Iraq is located in the collective conscience of humanity', and that Spinwatch took part in the evidence sessions and made several charges as well. With regard to BBC it stated, quote "The BBC is indicted for unbalanced coverage, for failing to access experts who would give a critical view; failure to access the anti war movement; showing very little scepticism about government claims; bowing under government pressure." Unquote.
The full report can be read at http://www.spinwatch.org.uk/blogs-mainmenu-29/david-miller-unspun-mainmenu-31/3193-bbc-indicted-as-accessory-to-war-crimes-in-istanbul
The list for BBC's false reporting and misrepresenting of facts is endless. A few other articles can be read at the following locations:
* Fears of bias as BBC gets œ141m in EU loans, by Jonathan Oliver, Political Editor, From The Sunday Times (January 27, 2008) :
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3257748.ece
* BBC - Allegations of bias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC
* 'Hunter': A Shameless BBC misrepresentation, posted by Assistant Editor in Abortion Articles, News on 28 January 2009. http://prolife.org.uk/hunter-a-shameless-bbc-misrepresentation/
* BBC misrepresents Iranian nuclear story :
http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=4&x_outlet=12&x_article=1527
* BBC investigated after peer says climate change programme was biased 'one-sided polemic', by Tamara Cohen (Last updated at 2:54 AM on 27th September 2008):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1063110/BBC-investigated-peer-says-climate-change-programme-biased-sided-polemic.html
* BBC Corrects False Report, by Ricki Hollander and Maxime Myer-Smith (March 11, 2008)- an article of how BBC seems to have reported on how a house had been plundered to the ground and of tampered / adulterated photos.
http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=4&x_outlet=12&x_article=1464
And the list goes on!!!!
