Can anyone explain why the BBC is carpet-bombing its early morning radio 4 news bulletins with what seems to be a nine-month old hyperbolic story emoting Israel’s malevolence, involving the ubiquitous “The BBC has learned”?
It goes something like this: It is alleged that 40,000 African (Eritrean and Sudanese) refugees in Israel are being given the choice of jail for life or being deported to (other) African countries in secretive deals, considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.”
(Not verbatim)
This announcement headed news bulletins at 5:30 am and subsequent bulletins - until 8 am, when it seems to have disappeared or have been relegated to some other position in the hierarchy.
I can think of several explanations but I haven’t time now.
Can anyone help?
Update:
Update:
Ah. Has the BBC “parachuted” young Kathy into Israel to dig dirt on the way it treats African refugees?
See this article and virtual trailer for a TV report to be broadcast today at 17:30 GMT on BBC World News. H/T Daphne Anson
I’m guessing that some commissioning / copy editor has chosen to promote this resurrected story under the “BBC has learned” banner because it ticks so many boxes. It got shunted up this morning’s news-bulletin hierarchy because it chimes with the BBC’s pro-immigrant agenda AND the anti-Israel agenda. Two birds with one stone - what’s not to like?
Of course using the disparaging phrases “secretive”and “Illegal under international law” in one short report somewhat gives the game away. Impartiality? As far as Israel is concerned, forget it.
The parallels between this and the current European refugee crisis would seem obvious to the children running the BBC; but the similarities are superficial. Dig deeper and you’ll find there is very little comparison.
However, in the current “changing” climate I think the BBC might find some people think Israel’s approach is rather wise and very generous.
Update 2:
Update 2:
The story has been picked up by the usual suspects and passed off as News. Ben White has Tweeted and Facebooked it (H/T Daphne Anson)
"Gathered evidence"
and the BBC has labelled it "No Room at the Inn". Interesting association going on in in someone's tiny brain.
The International Business Times has regurgitated it, quoting “Lawyer Anat Ben-Dor” without mentioning that Anat Ben-Dor is a professional advocate for refugee rights.
Talk about churnalism getting halfway round the world before the truth has time to get its boots on.
This is your BBC. I don’t think they’ve even bothered to report this, which is Genuine News.
Update 3:
Eddie Mair has grabbed it now. (H/T 'happy goldfish")
“BBC Africa has gathered evidence that Israel is sending unwanted African migrants to third countries under secretive deals which may be in breach of international law”
Eddie Mair has grabbed it now. (H/T 'happy goldfish")
“BBC Africa has gathered evidence that Israel is sending unwanted African migrants to third countries under secretive deals which may be in breach of international law”
Nasty little piece of work here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35475403
https://twitter.com/kathyharcombe
https://www.facebook.com/kathy.harcombe
To be fair I think we've seen a lot worse than her Twitter account. Seemed fairly unopinionated. Why the story is supposed to be top news in the UK is of course way more puzzling. Israel's (sensible) policy sounds much like Australia's. It should be the EU's policy also. Then Africa will benefit from its more entrepreneurial types rather than exporting them. We should of course be helping Africa - and I think Israel does a lot in that way.
ReplyDeleteI found this article from the other Hugh Scholfield worring:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35445025
I've noticed recently a creeping fatalism coming into our culture: "It is what it is..." is the modish phrase I've heard several times recently.
And isn't this a prime example? It's reporting on violent anti-semitism as though it's almost a natural
phenomenon rather than something that can be traced back to the vile anti-Jewish statements in the Koran and the Hadith and in Mohammed's genocide on Jewish tribes, compounded by the "Judenfrei" policies followed across the Muslim world, most particularly in Saudi Arabia and then reinforced by hate speech from regular Islamic clerics.
But I notice on Twitter he's recommending Houellebecq's latest submission (as I do) about the imagined Islamic take-over of France. That book is weighed down with a pervasive fatalism about France's future, and perhaps that has infected his reporting?
Has the BBC given equal scrutiny to other countries who, for example, close their borders and hit 'migrants' with teargas and water cannons?
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue, I did hear this on the 7am Today (yesterday) but promptly forgot about it. But what you have highlighted is the ability of the Beeb and its anti Israel stance to use a story (in this case an old one), drop it and then allow Twitter to spread the word.
ReplyDeleteNothing annoys me more (OK no there are lots of things at the BBC that annoy me) than the words on the BBC TV News 'the BBC has learned.....'. It often means that someone at the BBC has read a press release but it then is the deliberate dressing up to suggest that it is something that ONLY the BBC has learned, to provide the subliminal message to viewers that they wouldn't have know this but for dear old Auntie. And it is codswallop as can be seen by going to any newspaper or Sky.