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Encyclopedia > Criticism of the BBC
It has been suggested that BBC controversies be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Criticism of the BBC for alleged biases have come from the British government of the day,as well as from other political groups and various media outlets. Particular criticism has come over its coverage of events in the Middle East.[1] Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... The BBC has been the subject of many controversies that have been widely reported elsewhere which can be documented as to their source within this article. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

Contents

The Hutton Inquiry

The BBC was criticised for the way in which it reported on allegations that the British government's case for war in Iraq had been "sexed-up". This last event drew severe criticism from the Hutton Inquiry,[2] although some sections of the British press disputed its findings and branded it as a government whitewash.[3] The Hutton Inquiry was a British judicial inquiry chaired by Lord Hutton, appointed by the British government to investigate the death of a government weapons expert, Dr. David Kelly. ... This article is for the meaning of censorship. ...


Allegations of bias

Impartiality seminar

On Friday 22 September 2006 the BBC's Board of Governors held an impartiality seminar which was streamed live on the internet. The previous day the then Chairman of the Governors, Michael Grade, explained the thinking behind the seminar in an article in The Guardian newspaper [4]. is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Ian Grade CBE (born March 8, 1943) is a British businessman and a distinguished figure in the field of broadcasting. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ...


In the seminar there was a hypothetical discussion including senior BBC executives about what they would allow controversial Jewish comedian Sacha Baron Cohen to throw into a dustbin on the satirical television show Room 101. It was imagined that Baron Cohen would wish to throw into Room 101 kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Qur'an, and the Bible. There was also a hypothetical discussion about whether a Muslim BBC newsreader should be allowed to wear a headscarf. This article is about the British comedian. ... This page is about the TV series Room 101. ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader and senior clergyman of the Church of England, recognized by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ...


In the seminar former BBC business editor Jeff Randall claimed that he was told by a senior news executive in the organisation that "The BBC is not neutral in multiculturalism: it believes in it and it promotes it." Political correspondent Andrew Marr said that "The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It's a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities and gay people. It has a liberal bias not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias".[1] These comments were reported in the UK national press a couple of weeks later. At the seminar Helen Boaden (Director of BBC News) said that the BBC must be impartial on the issue of multiculturalism. Andrew Marr (born 31 July 1959, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish journalist and political commentator. ... Helen Boaden is the current director of BBC News and Current Affairs. ...


The Mail on Sunday (which was not present at the seminar) claimed that it was "secret" and that a senior executive at the seminar admitted "There was widespread acknowledgement that we may have gone too far in the direction of political correctness. Unfortunately, much of it is so deeply embedded in the BBC's culture, that it is very hard to change it".[1] The Daily Mail and its Sunday edition the Mail on Sunday are British newspapers, first published in 1896. ...


Helen Boaden responded to press criticism of the seminar in a post on the BBC's Editors' Blog. Peter Horrocks (Head of Television News) also blogged about the question of what was suitable attire for newsreaders in another post on the Editors Blog.


Mark Thompson (Director General of the BBC) responded to press criticism in an article in the Daily Mail[5] as did Mark Byford (Director, Journalism) in an interview in The Sunday Telegraph[6]. Mark Thompson has been the BBC Director-General since May 2004. ... Mark Byford (born June 13, 1958) is Deputy Director General of the BBC and head of all its journalism. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ...


"Safeguarding Impartiality in the 21st Century"

A report commissioned by the BBC Trust, Safeguarding Impartiality in the 21st Century[7], published in June 2007, stressed that the BBC needed to take more care in being impartial. It said the BBC broke its own guidelines by screening an episode of The Vicar of Dibley which promoted the Make Poverty History campaign.[8]. A full transcript of the impartiality seminar is included as an appendix to the report. The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. ... // The Make Poverty History campaign (which is written as MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY) was a British and Irish coalition of charities, religious groups, trade unions, campaigning groups and celebrities who mobilized around the UKs prominence in world politics in 2005 to increase awareness and pressure governments into taking actions towards relieving absolute...


The Evening Standard claimed that the report showed the BBC "is out of touch with large swathes of the public and is guity of self-censoring subjects that the corporation finds unpalatable"[9]. Headlines of the Evening Standard on the day of London bombing on July 7, 2005, in Waterloo Station The Evening Standard is a British tabloid newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast England. ...


Arab-Israeli conflict

In the course of their "Documentary Campaign 2000-2004," Trevor Asserson, Cassie Williams, both Israeli nationals, and Lee Kern of BBCWatch published a series of reports The BBC And The Middle East stating in their opinion that "the BBC consistently fails to adhere to its legal obligations to produce impartial and accurate reporting."[10]


Douglas Davis, the London correspondent of The Jerusalem Post, has accused the BBC of being anti-Israel and even antisemitic. He wrote that the BBC's coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict is "a relentless, one-dimensional portrayal of Israel as a demonic, criminal state and Israelis as brutal oppressors [which] bears all the hallmarks of a concerted campaign of vilification that, wittingly or not, has the effect of delegitimizing the Jewish state and pumping oxygen into a dark old European hatred that dared not speak its name for the past half-century."[11] "Anglicans for Israel", the pro-Israel pressure group,[12] have berated the BBC for apparent anti-Israel bias.[13] This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The May 16, 1948 Palestine Post headline announcing the creation of the state of Israel The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English language broadsheet newspaper, originally founded on December 1, 1932, by American journalist-turned-newspaper-editor Gershon Agron as the The Palestine Post. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster Anti-Semitism (alternatively spelled antisemitism) is hostility towards or prejudice against Jews (not, in common usage, Semites in general — see the Scope section below). ... Combatants Arab nations Israel Arab-Israeli conflict series History of the Arab-Israeli conflict Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics Participants Israeli-Palestinian conflict · Israel-Lebanon conflict · Arab League · Soviet Union / Russia · Israel, Palestine and the... Anglicans for Israel is a pressure group that aims to move the Church of England and other Christian groups into a position that is friendly towards Israel. ... An advocacy group, interest group or lobbying group is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. ...


An independent panel was set up in 2006 to review the impartiality of the BBC's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[14] The panel's assessment was that "apart from individual lapses, there was little to suggest deliberate or systematic bias." While noting a "commitment to be fair accurate and impartial" and praising much of the BBC's coverage the independent panel concluded "that BBC output does not consistently give a full and fair account of the conflict. In some ways the picture is incomplete and, in that sense, misleading." Israel, with the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ongoing dispute between the State of Israel and Arab Palestinians. ...


Reflecting concerns from all sides of the conflict the panel highlighted some identifiable shortcomings and made four recommendations.


Writing in the Financial Times, Philip Stephens, one of the panellists, later accused the BBC's director-general, Mark Thompson, of misrepresenting the panel's conclusions. He further opined "My sense is that BBC news reporting has also lost a once iron-clad commitment to objectivity and a necessary respect for the democratic process. If I am right, the BBC, too, is lost."[15] Mark Thompson published a rebuttal in the FT the next day.[16] The Financial Times (FT) is a British international business newspaper. ...


Martin Walker of United Press International was sceptical of the independent inquiry in an opinion piece published in The Times.[17] He believed the report was flawed for two reasons. Firstly, because the time-period over which it conducted (August 2005 to January 2006) surrounded the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Ariel Sharon's stroke, he believed the Israeli side should naturally get more positive coverage. Secondly the report only looked at the BBC's domestic coverage, and thus excluded output on the BBC World Service and BBC World. At the end of his piece he does note - "It’s amazing that the coverage is as decent as it is, and that most of us in the business concede privately that, for all its flaws, the BBC still does a better job than any other news organisation on Earth." Front of UPI Headquarters, Washington, D.C. “UPI” redirects here. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... Not to be confused with the Spanish name Garza or the Egyptian town of Giza. ...   (Hebrew: , also known by his diminutive Arik אָרִיק) (born February 27, 1928) is a former Israeli politician and general. ... The BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasters of radio programming, transmitting in 33 languages to many parts of the world. ... World News bulletins form the main part of the channels daily schedule. ...


On 24 May 2007 Professor Steven Weinberg, winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physics cancelled a speech at Imperial College, London due to the National Union of Journalists call for a boycott of Israeli products. Weinberg told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz: "I see in the British press and the BBC signs of a very strong anti-Israel bias - a kind of blind hostility that whatever Israel does, it is always in the wrong - so this is not an isolated action of a small group of antisemitic conspirators."[18] is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Steven Weinberg (born May 3, 1933) is an American physicist. ... Royal School of Mines Entrance Imperial College London is a college of the University of London which focuses on science and technology, and is located in South Kensington in London. ... The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. ... Haaretz (Hebrew: (help· info), The Land) is an Israeli newspaper, founded in 1919. ...


The Daily Telegraph criticized BBC for its coverage of the Middle East, writing: "In its international and domestic news reporting, the corporation has consistently come across as naïve and partial, rather than sensitive and unbiased. Its reporting of Israel and Palestine, in particular, tends to underplay the hate-filled Islamist ideology that inspires Hamas and other factions, while never giving Israel the benefit of the doubt. (Disgracefully, the BBC is still refusing to publish the Balen Report, which it commissioned to investigate allegations of anti-Israel bias.)"[19] This article concerns the British newspaper. ...


Israel/Hezbollah conflict

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict Israeli diplomatic officials boycotted BBC news programmes, refused interviews, and excluded BBC reporters from briefings because Israeli officials believed the BBC's reporting was biased, stating "the reports we see give the impression that the BBC is working on behalf of Hizbullah instead of doing fair journalism."[20] Francesca Unsworth, head of BBC News gathering, defended the coverage in an article in the Jewish News.[21] Combatants Hezbollah Amal LCP  Israel Commanders Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General of Hezbollah) Imad Mughniyeh (Commander of Hezbollahs armed wing)[5] Dan Halutz (CoS) Moshe Kaplinsky[12] Udi Adam (Regional) Strength 600-1,000 active fighters 3,000-10,000 reservists[6] 30,000 ground troops (plus IAF & ISC)[13...


The Balen Report

Main article: The Balen Report

The BBC sought to overturn a ruling by the High Court that a member of the public has the right under the Freedom of Information Act of 2000 (FOI) to see an internal report on its Middle East coverage, known as the Balen Report. The report examines BBC radio and television broadcasts covering the Arab-Israeli conflict, was compiled in 2004 by Malcolm Balen, a senior editorial adviser. The Balen Report is a document written by the BBC senior editorial advisor Malcolm Balen in 2004 into alleged anti-Israel bias in the BBCs coverage of the middle east conflict, particularly during the Second Intifada. ... Nearly sixty countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. ... Combatants Arab nations Israel Arab-Israeli conflict series History of the Arab-Israeli conflict Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics Participants Israeli-Palestinian conflict · Israel-Lebanon conflict · Arab League · Soviet Union / Russia · Israel, Palestine and the...


Critics of the BBC claimed that the Balen Report includes evidence of bias against Israel in news programming.[22][23] For examples, on 10 October 2006, the Daily Telegraph[24] claimed that "The BBC has spent thousands of pounds of licence payers' money trying to block the release of a report which is believed to be highly critical of its Middle East coverage. The corporation is mounting a landmark High Court action to prevent the release of The Balen Report under the Freedom of Information Act, despite the fact that BBC reporters often use the Act to pursue their journalism. The action will increase suspicions that the report, which is believed to run to 20,000 words, includes evidence of anti-Israeli bias in news programming." is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... The Balen Report is a document written by the BBC senior editorial advisor Malcolm Balen in 2004 into alleged anti-Israel bias in the BBCs coverage of the middle east conflict, particularly during the Second Intifada. ... Nearly sixty countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. ...


It has been alleged that the corporation paid £200,000 for this legal action. The Daily Mail called the BBC's blocking a FOI request "shameful hypocrisy" in light of the corporation's previous extensive use of FOI requests in its journalism.[25]


On Friday 27 April 2007 The High Court rejected Mr Steven Sugar's challenge to the Information Commissioner's decision.


The BBC's press release following the High Court judgement included the following statement:


"The BBC's action in this case had nothing to do with the fact that the Balen report was about the Middle East – the same approach would have been taken whatever area of news output was covered."[26]


Regular accusations of bias have come from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. In early 2007, an independent panel was set up by the corporation's board of governors to review its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[27]


Alleged Anti-American bias

In October 2006 Chief Radio Correspondent for BBC News since 2001[28] and Washington correspondent Justin Webb said that the BBC is so biased against America that deputy director general Mark Byford had secretly agreed to help him to "correct" it in his reports, and that the BBC treated America with scorn and derision and gave it "no moral weight".[29][30][31] Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... Justin Webb became BBCs chief radio and Washington correspondent in 2001. ... Mark Byford (born June 13, 1958) is Deputy Director General of the BBC and head of all its journalism. ...


In April 2007 Webb presented a three part series for BBC Radio 4 called "Death To America: Anti Americanism Examined" in he which challenged the common perception of the United States as an international bully and a modern day imperial power.[32]


American commentator Bill O'Reilly has for some time now labelled the BBC as the liberal media in the UK for its "inherent liberal culture."[33] It has been suggested that Bill OReilly political beliefs and points of view be merged into this article or section. ...


John Redwood's deregulation proposals

The BBC has been criticised for the way it covered Conservative MP John Redwood's policy group's deregulation proposals. Prominent political blogger Iain Dale criticised the organisation for leading news reports with the Labour Party's response to the proposals, rather than the proposals themselves, and claimed the BBC was "doing Labour's dirty work" [34]. The BBC denied the charge. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... John Alan Redwood (born 15 June 1951 in Dover, Kent) is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wokingham. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove, reduce, or simplify restrictions on business and individuals in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... Iain Dale is a British Conservative politician and pundit, broadcaster and owner of Politicos Bookstore and Publishing. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ...


British newspaper The Sun also alleged the BBC reports showed bias, criticising the organisation for including embarrassing footage of John Redwood badly singing the Welsh national anthem from the early 1990s. The paper argued that the coverage "was a mockery of impartial journalism" and "could have been scripted by Labour ministers" [35]. The BBC later apologised, but denied showing bias.[36] This article is about a British tabloid. ...


The Secret Agent Documentary

On Thursday 15 July 2004 the BBC broadcast a documentary on the far right British National Party where an undercover reporter by the name of Jason Gwynne infiltrated the BNP by posing as a football hooligan.[37][38] The programme resulted in Mark Collett and Nick Griffin, the leader of the party, being charged for inciting racial hatred in April 2005, for statements which included Griffin describing Islam as a "wicked, vicious faith," Collett describing asylum seekers as "a little bit like cockroaches" and saying "let's show these ethnics the door in 2004." Griffin and Collett were found not guilty on some charges at the first trial in January 2006, but the jury failed to reach a verdict on the others, so a retrial was ordered.[39] At the retrial held in November 2006 all of the defendants were found not guilty on the basis that the law at the time did not[clarify] consider those who follow Islam or Christianity to be a single race.[40] is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into far right. ... The British National Party (BNP) is a white nationalist political party in the United Kingdom. ... Jason Gwynne is a journalist who shot to fame in 2004 after making a documentary on the British National Party (BNP). ... Ultras at FC Twente - SC Heerenveen in 2002 Hooliganism is unruly and destructive behaviour, usually by gangs of young people. ... Mark Collett outside the Leeds Crown Court following his acquital (November 10, 2006) Mark Adrian Collett (born 1980) is a former chairman of the Young BNP, the youth division of the British National Party (BNP), and is currently the Director of Publicity of the Party. ... Nicholas John Nick Griffin (born 1959) is a British far-right politician. ... Inciting racial hatred, in the United Kingdom, is a criminal offence under the Race Relations Act of 1976. ... April 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Hamas and Islamic Jihad have declared, in principle, their intention to join the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... January 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accuses European nations of trying to complete the Holocaust by creating a Jewish camp Israel in the Middle East. ... 67 die and about 300,000 people are affected by floods in Ethiopias Somali Region of Ogaden after the Shabelle River bursts its banks. ...


The BNP believe this was an attempt to "Discredit the British National Party as a party of opposition to the Labour government."[41]


After the second trial Nick Griffin described the BBC as a "Politically correct, politically biased organisation which has wasted licence-fee payers' money to bring two people in a legal, democratic, peaceful party to court over speaking nothing more than the truth."[42]


Barbara Plett's tears

In a report of 30 October 2004, BBC reporter Barbara Plett described crying when a frail Yasser Arafat was evacuated to France for medical treatment, upsetting many listeners who viewed Arafat as a rather unsavory or criminal character, and leading to "hundreds of complaints" to the BBC. Ultimately these complaints were partially upheld by the BBC Governors' Programme Complaints Committee. Arafat report 'broke BBC rules', BBC 25 November 2005 Barbara Plett is a British journalist, who became the focus of a controversy when she admitted that the sight of terminally ill Yasser Arafat had made her cry. ... Not to be confused with Yasir Arafat (cricketer). ...


Jerry Springer: The Opera

In January 2005, the BBC aired the Jerry Springer: The Opera, ultimately resulting in around 55,000 complaints to the BBC from those upset at the opera's alleged blasphemies against the Christian religion. In advance of the broadcast, which the BBC had warned "contains language and content which won't be to some tastes" mediawatch-uk's director John Beyer wrote to the Director General urging the BBC to drop the programme, saying "Licence fee payers do not expect the BBC to be pushing back boundaries of taste and decency in this way." The BBC issued a statement saying: "As a public service broadcaster, it is the BBC's role to broadcast a range of programmes that will appeal to all audiences - with very differing tastes and interests - present in the UK today."[43] Before the broadcast, some 150 people bearing placards protested outside the BBC Television Centre in Shepherd's Bush [44] On the Monday following the broadcast, which was watched by some two million viewers, The Times announced that BBC executives had received death threats after their addresses and telephone numbers were posted on the Christian Voice website. The Corporation had received some 35,000 complaints before the broadcast, but reported only 350 calls following the broadcast, which were split between those praising the production and those complaining about it. [45] mediawatch-uk, formerly the National Viewers and Listeners Association (NVALA) is a controversial special interest pressure group in the United Kingdom, which seeks to highlight what it sees as regulatory failure on harmful and offensive broadcast content violence, bad language, sex, homosexuality and blasphemy in the United Kingdom. ... John Beyer John Beyer (b. ... BBC Television Centre (sometimes abbreviated TVC or TC) in London is home to much of the BBCs television output and, since 1998, almost all of the corporations national TV and radio news output by BBC News. ... Shepherds Bush is a district of West London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... Formerly known as Repent UK, is an organisation based in the United Kingdom which claims to be striving, through prayer and public campaigning, for national repentance. Christian Voice claims to follow the Word of God and the teachings of the Bible. ...


One Christian group attempted to bring private criminal prosecutions for Blasphemy against the BBC[46], and another demanded a judicial review of the decision. [47] This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...


In March, 2005, the BBC's Board of Governors convened and considered the complaints, which they rejected by a majority of 4 to 1. [48] The subsequent refusal of the BBC to reproduce the actual Muhammad cartoons in its coverage of the controversy concerning them convinced many that the BBC follows an unstated policy of freely broadcasting defamation of Christianity which it would not allow in the case of any other religion. NewsWatch: Finding the right balance, BBC 3 February 2006 NewsWatch: BBC's dilemma over cartoons, BBC 3 February 2006 The Board of Governors of the BBC is a group of twelve people who together regulate the BBC and represent the interests of the public, in particular those of viewers and listeners. ... The Face of Muhammed. ...


Editing of Wikipedia

In August 2007, searches on Wikipedia Scanner revealed that many edits to Wikipedia had been made from IP addresses assigned to the BBC, including one vandalising the article on US President George W. Bush by changing his middle name from "Walker" to "Wanker".[49] The BBC ran a story about edits made by the Central Intelligence Agency, which also mentioned edits from the networks of the US Democratic Party and the Vatican, but not those of the BBC.[50] The organisation was criticized as hypocritical by its own readers[51], as well as other journalists[52] for not including its own edits in the story. The BBC defended its story by arguing it was about the CIA, and not whitewashing in general. A note was later added at the end of the article acknowledging that BBC computers had been used to edit Wikipedia, but not mentioning the content of the controversial edits.[51]There is no evidence that the edits were part of an official policy of the BBC, but resulted from the use of its computers by disaffected staff or others. Wikipedia Scanner (formally WikiScanner) is a tool created by Virgil Griffith and released on 14 August 2007,[1] which offers users of Wikipedia a searchable database that links millions of anonymous Wikipedia edits to the organizations where those edits apparently originated, by cross-referencing the edits with data on the... Wikipedia (IPA: , or ( ) is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Look up wanker in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... “CIA” redirects here. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... This article is for the meaning of censorship. ...


Climate change

The BBC has been criticised for its one-sided coverage of the global warming debate. Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman argues that the corporation's correspondents "travel the globe to tell the audience of the dangers of climate change while leaving a vapour trail which will make the problem even worse", and "the BBC's coverage of the issue abandoned the pretence of impartiality long ago".[53] The global warming controversy is a dispute regarding the nature and consequences of global warming. ... Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22:30 and 23:20 on weekdays on BBC Two. ... Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English BBC journalist, news presenter and author. ...


At the 2007 Edinburgh Television Festival Peter Horrocks (Head of TV News) and Peter Barron (Editor, Newsnight), said that the BBC should not campaign on the issue of climate change. They critcised proposed plans for a BBC Comic Relief style day of programmes around climate change. Mr Horrocks was quoted as saying: "I absolutely don't think we should do that because it's not impartial. It's not our job to lead people and proselytise about it." For the origin of the term, see comic relief. ...


Peter Barron was quoted as adding: "It is absolutely not the BBC's job to save the planet. I think there are a lot of people who think that, but it must be stopped."[54]


Peter Horrocks later outlined the BBC's position on the BBC Editors Blog ("No Line").[55]


The plans for a day of programmes about environmental issues were abandoned in September 2008. A BBC spokesperson said this was "absolutely not" because of concerns about impartiality. [56]


Cleaning up of "moral standards"

The National Viewers' and Listeners' Association was formed in 1965 by Mary Whitehouse to "clean up" the BBC[57], claiming that it "was responsible for the moral collapse in the country". The late Mary Whitehouse's line was pursued by her and her supporters for many years to no very great effect. Mediawatch-uk, formerly the National Viewers and Listeners Association or the NVLA is a pressure group in the United Kingdom, which seeks to reduce what it sees as harmful portrayal of violence, bad language, sex, blasphemy and homosexuality in UK broadcast media. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


"Dumbing down"

In the past few years, there have been claims that the corporation has simplified its programmes in an effort to reach a broader audience, particularly the Breakfast, Six O'Clock and Ten O'Clock news programmes. The former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, [58] claimed that BBC newsreaders "prance around studios", and that he would prefer it if they were to "actually sit at a desk and read the news". John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ...


'London-centrism'

On 1 November 2007 it was reported that Sir Michael Lyons, chairman of the BBC Trust, criticised the BBC as too London-centric, paying less attention to news stories outside of the capital. [59]


Funding

Main article: Television licensing in the United Kingdom

The fact that the BBC's domestic services are funded by television licence fees is criticised by its competitors and others on a number of grounds.[60] In the United Kingdom and the Crown dependencies, a television licence is required to receive any publically broadcast television service, from any source. ... A television licence (or more correctly broadcast receiver licence, as it usually also pays for public radio) is an official licence required in many countries for all owners of television (and sometimes also radio) receivers. ...


BBC Russia

On 2007-8-17 it was reported that FM broadcast of the BBC's Russian language service in Russia would be dropped, leaving only medium and short wave broadcasts in Russia. Financial organisation Finam, which owns the FM radio service now dropping the BBC Russia broadcasts, through its spokesman Igor Ermachenkov, said that "Any media which is government-financed is propaganda - it's a fact, it's not negative".[61] A spokesman, for the BBC responded: "Although the BBC is funded by the UK government... a fundamental principle of its constitution and its regulatory regime is that it is editorially independent of the UK government." Reports put the development in the context of criticism of the Russian government for curbing media freedom and strained UK-Russian relations.[61] Reporters Without Borders condemned the move as censorship.[62] Reporters Without Borders, or RWB (French: Reporters sans frontières, Spanish: Reporteros Sin Fronteras, or RSF) is a French origin international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press, founded by its current general-secretary, Robert Menard. ...


References

  1. ^ a b c Simon Walters: Yes, we are biased on religion and politics, admit BBC executives, Daily Mail, October 22, 2006
  2. ^ The Hutton Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr Kelly. Accessed 11 November 2006.
  3. ^ CNN: UK press mauls Hutton 'whitewash', January 29, 2004 (on the reaction of the British press to the final report)
  4. ^ Grade, Michael. "The digital challenge", The Guardian, 2004-09-21. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  5. ^ Thompson, Mark. "BBC closes door on newsreaders in Muslim veils", The Daily Mail, 2006-10-29. Retrieved on 2007-10-15. 
  6. ^ Hastings, Chris. "BBC 'not crammed full of soft liberals' says deputy chief", The Sunday Telegraph, 2006-10-30. Retrieved on 2007-10-15. 
  7. ^ From Seesaw to Wagon Wheel: Safeguarding Impartiality in the 21st Century, BBC Trust, June 2007. Retrieved on 22 June 2007.
  8. ^ "BBC 'must become more impartial'", BBC News, 18 June 2007
  9. ^ "BBC accused of institutional 'trendy left-wing bias'". Evening Standard (18 June 2007). Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
  10. ^ BBC Watch
  11. ^ Davis, Douglas. "Hatred in the air: the BBC, Israel and Antisemitism". in: Iganski, Paul & Kosmin, Barry. (eds) A New Anti-Semitism? Debating Judeophobia in 21st century Britain. Profile Books, 2003, p. 130.
  12. ^ Anglicans for Israel
  13. ^ Anti-Israel bias - anglicansforisrael.com
  14. ^ Impartiality Review: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict- BBC Governors]. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  15. ^ Philip Stephens: BBC is losing public service plot, FT Jun 20, 2006
  16. ^ The BBC's success story has a public service plot, Mark Thompson, Financial Times, Jun 21, 2006
  17. ^ Martin Walker: The BBC pro-Israeli? Is the Pope Jewish?, The Times, May 11, 2006
  18. ^ Amihai Zippor (2007-05-27). Nobel Laureate Cancels London Speech Due to British anti-Israel Bias. Retrieved on [[2007-05-27]].
  19. ^ Terror victims are BBC licence-payers, too 20/08/2007
  20. ^ Jerusalem Post article on BBC coverage of the Israel-Lebanon conflict
  21. ^ Totally Jewish response to Francesca Unsworth
  22. ^ BBC asks court to block Israel report by Michael Herman (Times Online) March 27, 2007
  23. ^ BBC fights to suppress internal report into allegations of bias against Israel by Andy McSmith (The Independent) 28 March 2007
  24. ^ Telegraph: BBC mounts court fight to keep 'critical' report secret, October 15, 2006
  25. ^ BBC pays £200,000 to 'cover up report on anti-Israel bias' by Paul Revoir (Daily Mail) 22 March 2007
  26. ^ 'Balen report: BBC successful in High Court challenge' BBC Press Office 27 March 2007
  27. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1971223,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
  28. ^ BBC World Home Page. BBC News. Retrieved on 2006-11-02.
  29. ^ Walters, Simon. "We are biased, admit the stars of BBC News", Mail on Sunday, 2006-10-21. Retrieved on 2006-11-02. 
  30. ^ "Cut & paste: A public broadcaster acknowledges its left-wing bias", The Australian, 2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2006-11-02. 
  31. ^ "Yes, we are biased on religion and politics, admit BBC executives", This is London, 2006-10-22. Retrieved on 2006-11-02. 
  32. ^ 'Death to US': Anti-Americanism examined http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6547881.stm
  33. ^ "The Far Left, Angelina Jolie and FOX News", FNC, Tuesday, June 19, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-15. 
  34. ^ http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2007/08/how-bbc-does-labours-dirty-work.html
  35. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,31-2007370486,00.html
  36. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2007/08/red_tape_reporting.html
  37. ^ Utley, Tom. "The BNP is thoroughly nasty, so why did 750,000 people vote for it?", The Daily Telegraph, 2004-07-16. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  38. ^ "Going undercover in the BNP", BBC, 2004-07-15. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  39. ^ "BNP duo to face race hate retrial", BBC News, 2006-02-03. Retrieved on 2007-04-26. 
  40. ^ "BNP leader cleared of race hate", BBC News, 2006-11-10. Retrieved on 2007-04-26. 
  41. ^ "Free Speech Two update", British National Party, 2006-01-14. Retrieved on 2007-04-28. 
  42. ^ "BNP leader cleared of race hate", BBC News, 2006-11-10. Retrieved on 2007-04-26. 
  43. ^ BBC urged to axe Springer opera BBC News 5 January 2005 accessed 30 August, 2007
  44. ^ Protests as BBC screens Springer BBC News, 10 January, 2005, accessed 30 August, 2005
  45. ^ Security guards step in after Springer opera death threats, The Times, 10 January 2005, accessed 30 August, 2005
  46. ^ Group to act over Springer opera, BBC News, 10 January, 2005, accessed 30 August, 2007
  47. ^ Second action over Springer opera, BBC News, 20 January, 2005, accessed 30 August, 2007
  48. ^ BBC rejects Springer complaints, BBC News, 30 March, 2005, accessed 30 August, 2007
  49. ^ "Exposed: guess who has been polishing their Wikipedia entries?", The Times, 2007-08-15. Retrieved on 2007-08-15. 
  50. ^ "Wikipedia 'shows CIA page edits'", BBC News, 2007-08-15. Retrieved on 2007-08-16. 
  51. ^ a b (The BBC) Wikipedia edits. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  52. ^ "BBC's flagrant hypocrisy over Wiki edits", The Telegraph, 2007-08-16. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. 
  53. ^ How green is my Auntie?, Jeremy Paxman, 2 February 2007
  54. ^ [1], BBC Drops Climate Change Special, Media Guardian, 5 September
  55. ^ [2], BBC Editors Blog 30 August 2007
  56. ^ [http:http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2163250,00.html How green is my Auntie?], Media Guardian, 6 September 2007
  57. ^ http://www.mediawatchuk.org/mhvh.htm
  58. ^ "'Prancing' BBC News hosts berated", BBC News, 2006-05-18. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  59. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7073702.stmM/
  60. ^ Raymond Snoddy (2004-02-17). BBC 'anti-competitive'. The Times. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
  61. ^ a b BBC radio ordered off Russian FM. BBC News (2007-8-17). Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  62. ^ BBC dropped from Russia’s FM waveband today. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.

The Daily Mail is a British newspaper and the oldest tabloid, first published in 1896. ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Daily Mail and its Sunday edition the Mail on Sunday are British newspapers, first published in 1896. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Headlines of the Evening Standard on the day of London bombing on July 7, 2005, in Waterloo Station The Evening Standard is a British tabloid newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast England. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Anglicans for Israel is a pressure group that aims to move the Church of England and other Christian groups into a position that is friendly towards Israel. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The FOX News Channel is a US cable and satellite news channel. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article concerns the British newspaper. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The British National Party (BNP) is a white nationalist political party in the United Kingdom. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

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