Regular readers of our little blog will perhaps recall our previous posts about the BBC's eloquent Central Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe and his many impartiality-busting reports about Hungary and the migrant crisis (and Brexit).
His support for non-European migrants illegally entering Europe and his disdain for those who oppose their coming (the Hungarian government, the bulk of the Hungarian population, many Hungarian churches) is something his BBC reporting has never bothered to disguise.
I've not heard him for a while but there he was on today's From Our Own Correspondent and a warm breeze of bias-filled nostalgia wafted across the Danube towards me like a memory of Tokay (a false memory as I've never been lucky enough to sample any).
I listened to him bang on about the migrant situation again this morning - his voice lowering as he described the baddies who oppose the mass entrance of people with names like 'Mohammed', his voice lifting as he described those making it through Hungary's tough anti-migrant measures (including some he's happy - on what didn't some like very long's acquaintance - to call his "friend") and those helping them do so.
I listened to him bang on about the migrant situation again this morning - his voice lowering as he described the baddies who oppose the mass entrance of people with names like 'Mohammed', his voice lifting as he described those making it through Hungary's tough anti-migrant measures (including some he's happy - on what didn't some like very long's acquaintance - to call his "friend") and those helping them do so.
And those Christian churches who don't want to bring in those migrants en masse are failing to show Christian charity, according to the BBC's Nick today.
If you read BBC Nick's Twitter feed (which he doesn't link to the BBC, despite his own website saying he's been the BBC's Central Europe correspondent since 1996), you'll see that he's no more impartial there. He's pro-immigration, anti-Brexit, Islamophile, pro-Soros, anti-Orban, etc, etc.
If you then read the detailed posts we've posted about Nick Thorpe, you'll find most of those views reflected in his official BBC reporting.
Were I an editor on a programme like From Our Own Correspondent alarm bells would ring over concerns about bias every time Nick Thorpe was asked for a piece. Evidently, those alarm bells don't ring for the team behind From Our Own Correspondent.
Maybe, it's his eloquence and mellifluous voice. Or maybe it's just the BBC being the BBC.
Maybe, it's his eloquence and mellifluous voice. Or maybe it's just the BBC being the BBC.
Great post Craig. Re you're comment
ReplyDelete"I've not heard him for a while"
That applies to a lot of them. I was surprised to hear "Barbara Plett-Usher" being pressed into service re Hurricane Irma. Hadn't heard from her in ages. Is she on an annual salary? I think we should be told so we can work out her per hour salary.
Likewise with John Simpson. I think he's still officially something suitably pompous like World Affairs Editor.
It would be nice if you or someone else like Newswatch made some enquiries because I think a lot of these reporters on top whack but maybe filing no more than five or six reports a year.
I had to laugh at his comments about it being a case of the state, (the Hungarian government), versus the 'little man', (the poor individual refugee), when we have the state, (the EU), versus the 'little man', (the Hungarian government).
ReplyDeleteActually, according to him, everyone, citizens included, is against the Hungarian government.
See details of complaint and the way the BBC responded to Nick Thorpe's "From our own correspondent " on Israel http://netanyalynette.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/new-post-to-be-named.html
ReplyDeleteDid Nick by any chance omit to mention the absence of Islamic terror attacks in Hungary?
ReplyDelete