Oozing bias

BBC Watch spotted a few characteristically biased tweets from the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen in anticipation of an upcoming Radio 4 programme he's doing about olives and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He's kept the tweets coming, however, since Hadar's post and you'll find them all below (so far). 

They probably tell you all you need to know about the forthcoming programme (so you won't have to listen to it), and they certainly tell you more than enough about Jeremy Bowen's concept of impartiality - i.e. reporting that makes the Palestinians look much, much nicer than the nasty Israelis. Many of the tweets show the breadth and depth of Palestinian 'niceness', while there's just one that shows the 'nice' side of Israel and several more that try to show its 'nasty' side. 

My prediction? The programme itself will inevitably follow the same clearly biased path as these tweets. 

Doing BBC R4 prog on olives. Snacked on Palestinian olives, oil, Zaatar and Zaarour (wild berry) jam mixed with oil pic.twitter.com/38QVADr9us
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 19, 2014

After snack with Palestinian olive farmer. Our BBC radio prog will look at Palestinian-Israeli conflict via olives. pic.twitter.com/zQoKFCAezK
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 19, 2014

Maqloba, upside down chicken, Palestinian speciality, with Abu Nidal, who's lost many olive trees to Israelis. pic.twitter.com/2MEjUwJBOd
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 19, 2014

More Palestinian hospitality. Recording our BBC R4 programme about the politics of olives is now a gastronomic tour pic.twitter.com/mkJMAyfKaw
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 19, 2014

An olive tree near Bethlehem regenerating from the root after even stump removed for Israel's separation barrier pic.twitter.com/RqmRGXprbC
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 19, 2014

Palestinian olive farmer Saleh shows off oil 'like butter' from 4000 year old tree, in pop bottles for transport. pic.twitter.com/pke7XPAPnV
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 19, 2014

I bet they bleat their way into our BBC radio prog on olives and the Palestinian-Israel conflict on R4 on Dec 12 pic.twitter.com/CGjpn9CvRW
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 19, 2014

Saleh, the Palestinian olive oil farmer with the tree he loves, reputedly the oldest and biggest in the West Bank pic.twitter.com/TZJDAblMQB
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 20, 2014

At a village oil press in West Bank. Olives picked 2 hours ago produce greeny-yellow pungent peppery nectar.
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 20, 2014

Hungry BBC team fighting over the limpid, peppery, mouth exploding olive oil at Canaan fair trade near Jenin. pic.twitter.com/ZSBZ5sfeq2
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 20, 2014

Lunch with hospitable Israeli olive producer Yaniv Zaban. Couscous & meatballs cooked by his Libyan born mum pic.twitter.com/6EEFYz0rHy
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 21, 2014

Avraham Hertzlich, shepherd and guru of Tapuach settlement. This is Jewish land, he says, Arabs should leave. pic.twitter.com/vxj7j1axL2
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 22, 2014

A impromptu snack offered to us by leaders of small Palestinian village of Yasuf in West Bank. pic.twitter.com/rLuRMWU3gL
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 22, 2014

Naja Rashed harvesting olives in Palestinian Yasuf village. Says Jewish settlers cut down some of her other trees. pic.twitter.com/I3P7vpxhWC
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) October 22, 2014