Why Does the BBC Do This?

7 March 2010

See this story on the BBC News website concerning horrific violence in Nigeria overnight leading to the death of over a hundred people, mainly women and children, macheted to death. Now read the same story as reported on the CNN website. Notice the major difference in how the story is reported? (Hint: One of the report identifies the religious affiliation of the victims, the other expressly avoids doing so, even to the extent that the report seems incomlete and somehow artificial).

Why does the Beeb do this? Is it driven by fear, either of opposition from or alienating a proportion of its Muslim audience? Or perhaps disdain for Christianity? All of the above? Lest someone feel I'm being overly-sensitive here, it's important to note the BBC doesn't have a particularly good track record when it comes to Christianity, while many feel Islam gets rather better treatment. Whether that is the case or not is for others to decide. But I suggest when a Christian village is attacked on a Sunday morning and a hundred people - predominantly women and children - are slashed to death with machetes, yet our national tax-funded broadcaster fails to report the full facts, it has hardly a wise act by a corporation regularly fending off accusations of anti-Christian bias.

By Calvin L. Smith at 19:09

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4 comments:

Stuart said...
7 March 2010 19:28:00 GMT  

I worked briefly at Aldgate East in London on behalf of P&O Containers. The streets were rough and yet there was a labyrinth under the streets, with beautiful and plush shopping areas.

Very strange to see the rich underground and the poor on the streets. I preferred the streets.

Also, I share your fear of highrises. I went to Essex University to study the Social Sciences in the school of mathmatics and computer sciences, and lived in one of the tower blocks for a year. These things were built as temporary accomodation whilst other buildings were built, and were inadequate in terms of the depth of foundations.

This was thrity years after they were first built to fulfil their temporary duty. I used to get seasick as the towers would sway violently at the mildest wind.

 
Calvin L. Smith said...
7 March 2010 19:33:00 GMT  

Interesting. BTW, I presume this comment is for the post before this one, at http://www.calvinlsmith.com/2010/03/blog-from-america-14-wrapping-up.html.

 
Stuart said...
7 March 2010 19:33:00 GMT  

I'm so sorry Calvin, I meant to post the above comment on your last post.

Sorry.

By the way, cross-posted this post.....yet again!

 
C. Smith said...
8 March 2010 22:02:00 GMT  

Calvin,
I'm ashamed that I have a BBC licence.
What can we do?
Write us a form letter that all faithful Christian believers can use as a template and encourage them to use it. Those of us who have websites should stand with you and publish it.
Perhaps even those who are opposed to us on unimportant doctrinal grands will stand with us on this one.
Haven't we turned the cheek more than once? Even Jesus - the great cheek-turner - took a whip and cleansed the Temple.
The BBC is ours. We pay for it. We are responsible for it. We will be judged for it!

 

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