BBC denies Whitehall unit influenced al-Qa'ida report
By Michael Savage
Friday, 29 August 2008
The BBC has admitted that a senior journalist making a programme about
al-Qa'ida met members of a government propaganda unit before the
programme was broadcast.
Suspicions over the BBC's relationship with the unit were raised after a
leaked report said the unit was "pushing" material, designed to
undermine al-Qa'ida among its supporters, to "a BBC radio programme
exposing tensions between AQ leadership and supporters".
The BBC admitted yesterday that its security correspondent Frank Gardner
and a colleague met members of Whitehall's research, information and
communications unit (Ricu). The programme, al-Qa'ida's Enemy Within, was
broadcast on Radio 4 on 7 August. It was presented by Gardner and
produced by a BBC expert in Islam, Innes Bowen.
It assessed how former Islamic extremists and scholars had turned away
from al-Qa'ida's philosophy and were trying to urge supporters to turn
against it. The leaked Ricu report had explained that one of the unit's
aims was to show that al-Qa'ida was vulnerable to attacks by influential
figures.
Nicola Meyrick, executive editor of current affairs on BBC Radio,
dismissed any suggestion of collusion between the programme's makers and
the Whitehall propaganda unit.
"The programme explored how the war of ideas within the jihadi movement
is becoming as important as the military front line," she said. "Was it
the result of a 'push' from Ricu? Absolutely not. Frank and Innes did
have contact with Ricu and saw three members of the unit after they had
finished recording interviews. Ricu gave them briefing materials that
were not used in the programme."
Gardner has won plaudits for first-hand knowledge of the Islamic world,
having completed a degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies. He is a fluent
Arabic speaker. He was shot and left for dead while working in the Saudi
capital, Riyadh, in 2004 and left paralysed by the attack.
Ms Meyrick added: "The programme was completely independent, not
inspired by a Whitehall counter-terrorism unit or necessarily coming to
the conclusion such a unit would like."
http://www.independ ent.co.uk/ news/media/ bbc-denies- whitehall- unit-
influenced-alqaida- report-912324. html
Friday, 29 August 2008
Posts
