Daphne Anson: BBC Man Says The T-Word & Meanwhile The Fight To See Al Beeb's Hidden Balen Report Renews

Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East. (From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Monday, 15 August 2011

BBC Man Says The T-Word & Meanwhile The Fight To See Al Beeb's Hidden Balen Report Renews

Hamas are "militants" in BBC-speak. But a fortnight ago a BBC presenter used the T-word regarding the Middle East.

Yes, in an interview with James Barr, author of A Line in the Sand, Nick Higham said "terrorists" loud and clear. And what's more he used the T-word twice. If you don't believe me you can see the interview here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14406241

Alas, Nick wasn't talking about Hamas. He didn't break ranks with the Corporation. He was referring to "Jewish terrorists" in Mandate Palestine.

Okay. So, what else is new on the BBC front?

Well, there's one encouraging development...

The six-year attempt by lawyer Steven Sugar to force the determinedly resistant BBC to release the findings of editorial adviser Malcolm Balen's 20,000-word 2004 report concerning Al Beeb's coverage of the Middle East into the public domain was the lengthiest legal dispute of its kind so far in the time that Britain's Freedom of Information Act has been operative.

Mr Sugar passed away last January, the month before an appeal hearing was due to be heard in the Supreme Court against a subsequently upheld High Court decision that "the BBC has no obligation to disclose information which they hold to any significant extent for the purposes of journalism, art or literature, whether or not the information is also held for other purposes".

Not for Al Beeb any notion that it has a moral obligation to allow licence-payers concerned at its palpable anti-Israel bias (as reflected in the egregrious reportage by Orla Guerin, Jeremy Bowen [pictured] and others) to examine Mr Balen's findings. Instead, a ruthless recourse to the letter of the law on the part of that odious hypocritical anachronistically-funded insitution, a fight throught the courts involving very heavy expenditure of tax-payers' money (something Al Beeb does so expertly all of the time - the junkets, the inflated salaries, the wasteful flying of newsreaders to foreign climes to read the autocue from some newsworthy location in which they already have a correspondent or two ...)

Now it's reported that Steven Sugar's mantle has fallen upon his widow, Fiona Paveley, who will be taking up the cudgels in the same worthy cause. Splendid! May her efforts succeed.

Better still, may Al Beeb do the decent thing and conceal the report no longer.

See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8700047/Widow-takes-on-BBC-over-Israel-bias.html for the report and for the background see http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/opensecrets/2011/02/balen_report_the_case_continue.html (hat tip: Biased BBC)

6 comments:

SteveR15 August 2011 at 18:11
Just like our arrogant M.P's the BBC doesn't think the Freedom Of Information act should apply to them.

I wish Fiona Paveley every success.

The one household bill I loath paying every year is that damn BBC TAX.
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Daphne Anson15 August 2011 at 21:37
Hear, hear, Steve!
The BBC Tax, as you so aptly describe it, is anomalous these days.
As I always say, let Al Beeb pay for its own propganda!
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Adam16 August 2011 at 08:10
Let's support Mrs Sugar in continuing the quest for transparency at the Israel bashing BBC. This is a publicly funded body which uses public money in the courts to hide information from...the public!

They really are lowlifes.
ReplyDelete
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Daphne Anson16 August 2011 at 08:14
Absolutely, Adam!
Thanks for your comment.
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Jacob17 August 2011 at 09:13
Do you mean to say that there are people out there who spend engergy, time and money to prove that the BBC has an anti Israel agenda? How about just watching its coverage of Israel? It is free.
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Daphne Anson17 August 2011 at 17:23
The idea is to embarrass and shame them, Jacob, and shake them into a shake up. The very fact that they appointed Bowen Middle East editor is scandalous in itself. Of course, Trevor Asserson's reports testify to the BBC's outragous bia, but if Balen backed that up, Al Beeb would have a very red face. If new chairman Chris (Lord) Patten had any goodwell at all towards Israel (and of course he is pro-Palestinian from way back) he'd order the report released!
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The division of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) into three separate areas “A”, “B” and “C” was agreed on by Israel and the PLO pursuant to the Oslo Accords.
95% of the West Bank Arabs live in Areas A and B and their daily lives are under the total administration and control of the PLO since the Palestinian Authority was disbanded by Abbas in January 2013. The PLO has total security control in A and shares security control in B with Israel. Israel has total administrative and security control in C.
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