Well, I was in the belly of the beast last night, doing the Paper Reviews on 5Live. Thanks for all your suggestions and thought I might explain how it actually works. Just as a point of interest, I will be reviewing tomorrow's papers on BBC R5 Live tonight at 11.30pm. First time I have had the chance to do this so tune in you get the chance or even phone in. I'll be on for half an hour. Interesting approach the BBC takes the release of material from the National Archives concerning Northern Ireland. It COULD have used this headline "IRA leaders outside Maze controlled Hunger Strikers". But it didn't. It COULD have used this headline "IRA rejected Hunger Striker Deal", But it didn't. No, instead it spins it this way "Margaret Thatcher "negotiated with IRA". If you read the detail, you discover she didn't do any such thing but that is beside the point, THIS is all about creating an impression.The BBC have been sympathetic towards the IRA for decades and continues to present the British Government as the bad guys whilst IRA scum who enabled their own to starve to death are the noble freedom fighters. All that history teaches is that you CANNOT trust the BBC. Ed Miliband must be delighted with his pals at the BBC this morning. 
FROM ME TO YOU...
>> SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2011
Thanks to ALL who come to this site for your tremendous enduring help, encouragement, insight and humour during the previous 12 months and here's to making 2012 another great year on Biased BBC. This is your blog and I promise to do my best to keep it lively and on topic in the New Year. Cheers!REPORTING BACK
Basically you are presented with the A4 front pages of most of the daily papers 30 minutes before you go on-air. A few of the papers have some more pages, last night the Indie and Express did. That's a challenge as I believe most of what is worth reading lies inside the newspaper, not on the cover. Anyway, you select a few stories you want to talk about and then off you go. There is no coercion and no censorship. The only thing I couldn't talk about before midnight was the details of those being honoured in the New Years List. Didn't bother me as I oppose the Honours system.
I chose Nanny Statism and the Collapse of the Euro as my topics. I found the host, Jonathan Overend, pleasant and he did not challenge me so I really can't complain. My co-reviewer, David Banks (former editor of the Mirror) was a pleasant guy who I enjoyed talking with. I got in one dig about the entire public sector needing to take cuts and he did not come back! All in all, it was a pleasant if somewhat insubstantive experience. This time of the year is news silly season and so I hope I get the chance to repeat when we have real news issues to debate. The BBC in Belfast were very accommodating to me and the only problem was I didn't get home to about 1.30am. Hope that let's you know how it all works. Tired the morning after!BACK TO OXFORD STREET
>> FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2011
"Seydou Diarrassouba, 18, was stabbed after a fight began in the Foot Locker sports shop near Bond Street Tube station on Monday. His family praised the "loving son and brother" who was "snatched away". The tribute came as police raided the homes of 20 suspected gang members to "quell" related tensions."
The way the BBC writes this one leaves out a few essential facts...A known gangster, he (Diarrassouba) was facing trial over charges of robbery and assault by beating in relation to an alleged attack in September.On Boxing Day he is believed to have left his home on a council estate in Mitcham, South London, with other members of ABM with the intention of using the sales crush as cover for shoplifting.
WHY does the BBC deliberately erase this aspect to the background of the young man? I know it is not pleasant but it does provide genuine context. This guy was out with his gangster pals to thieve and it all went wrong. Also note the photo that they use - above. The could have used this one...but didn't. I wonder why?
IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST
SELECTIVITY
ATTACK!
They have been leading all their news items this morning with the results ofa Labour Party survey which claims to show that the evil Coalition is behind a sharp rise in the cost of council services for elderly and disabled people. Nothing to to with the efficacy of Councils, of course, who are sitting on top of BILLIONS in their reserves, also unreported by the BBC. Quite why a Labour press release justifies being lead story is beyond me but I suppose it conforms to the narrative.
As an extra follow up, we also had the ghost of Geoffrey Howe being asked to explain why he thought that the Government regenerating Liverpool back in 1981 was like making "water flow uphill". Now, there is little that I found to admire in Chancellor Howe, but it seems to me that his assessment of Liverpool back then was pretty accurate. Of course the Government DID introduce Enterprise Zones and the like but the BBC was more interested in portraying the evil Conservatives led by...gasp..THATCHER...as being detached from the north of England.
Saturday, 31 December 2011
From 1981 to the end of 2011, the drumbeat of the BBC is the same.
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