Yesterday the BBC finally got round to reporting the wave of sex attacks on women in Cologne and other German cities by large gangs of "Arab and North African men" which took place on New Year's Eve. They even gave it prominent coverage on their news website. (It was in the top two of their 'most read' articles for much of the rest of the day).
The most-watched news programme in the UK, the BBC's flagship News at Ten, however, made a clear editorial decision last night to downplay the story, pushing it well down its running order and then giving it a mere 19 seconds.
The editorial team behind BBC News at Ten also decided to downplay the sexual element of the attack, playing the words 'robbed' and 'threatened' before 'sexually assaulted' in their description of the event and excising all mention of the fact that at least one of the women was raped.
They also chose to completely censor the clearly highly relevant fact that the gangs behind this extraordinary assaults on the women of Germany consisted hundreds of "Arab and North African men".
This is how BBC News at Ten reported the story last night, word for word:
In Germany tonight protesters gathered outside the cathedral in Cologne after around 80 women reported being robbed, threatened or sexually assaulted by groups of men on New Year's Eve. People suspect that as many as a thousand young males, many of them drunk, carried out the attacks. Chancellor Merkel has called for the perpetrators to be caught and punished.How can anyone think that that's adequate reporting?
The editorial decision making behind that decision is deeply disturbing and BBC News at Ten should be ashamed of themselves.
A few observations:
ReplyDelete1. It appears that the German mainstream media were suppressing this story for about 48 hours. It was only the fact that the victims used social media to tell the truth that the story eventually emerged.
2. The BBC tend to be most constistent in applying PC principles across the board, but on this occasion both Sky and ITV have been giving them a run for their money. On tonight's ITV news there was no mention of the ethnic origin of the perpetrators (not that I think their ethnic origin is the key factor - it's their ideological identity - but it was referenced by the German police).
3. Another aspect that has got little attention is that the Cathedral seemed to be a target for firework attack. Was that sheer coincidence - or was it something that appealed to the rioters?
One can only hope that this is a wake-up call for the whole of Europe: that it needs to take border control and integration of migrants seriously.
agree the Bomb are different now, By using 'Mass Fear', groups be they Isis led or Far Right are able to gang bash a public scene. All types of atrocitities may occur. one thing is vigilance,
Deletecare for our brothers and keep the police informed of the odd things we see... we are at war
This has become a very big story in Germany and across Europe now and is clearly v. relevant to the migration/refugees debate which the BBC never leaves alone for even 24 hours. So I am wondering if anything about this will make it on to Newsnight.
ReplyDeleteI imagine there have been some tense editorial meetings at the BBC over the last couple of days, with younger female feminists perhaps demanding that this be covered while older hands argue for censorship, seeing the dangers of admitting to any negative impacts of mass immigration.
Well it was covered on Newsnight. Katie Razzell - one of the prime practitioners of the "warm and cuddly" school of pro-migration propaganda was obliged to compile the report. So what did she do?
DeleteShe drafted in two pro-migration spokespeople (one a Muslim playing the usual victim card)!!! The report of course was replete with references to the non-existent condition of Islamophobia placed closely to references to "racism". Anyone would have thought the report was about persecution of Muslims!
Laughingly, the BBC blamed the German media for failure to promptly report the attacks. This despite the fact that the BBC forks out for a Berlin Correspondent (Jenny Hill - where was she?).
So to the studio discussion. Who would the BBC choose to interview? Maybe a migration sceptic from the Christian Social Union, or a feminist perhaps? No, the BBC played the "balanced programme" card of having a far right representative (an AFD MEP). Strangely, for once, Evan Davis didn't seek to interrupt much or pose any difficult questions. Odd - unless the idea was to continue the message set out in the Razzell report i.e. only far right politicians support controlled migration.
"How can anyone think that that's adequate reporting?"
ReplyDeleteOne is starting to suspect that the BBC is the best outfit to educate and inform the UK public as the EU Referendum becomes an ever hotter topic.
Which may be why the BBC is not as concerned about the Charter renewal as their antics of late would suggest.
I missed an extra 'not'.
DeleteThe BBC is as bent as a nine euro note on the subject of the EU.