Tuesday 26 September 2017

Now you see it, now you don't




On the BBC News website's Home page it appeared under headlines such as 'Hate crime probe after man stabbed in neck on way to mosque' , 'Altrincham hate crime probe after surgeon stabbed outside mosque' and 'Altrincham mosque stabbing: Surgeon attacked in 'hate crime'. 

Today (this afternoon), a new report replaced yesterday's report and those headlines have changed to 'Altrincham mosque stabbing suspect charged'.

The story itself, however, has vanished from the BBC News website Home page and now appears in the lower reaches of the Manchester section of the website where few people are likely to read it.

Yesterday all of the BBC's updates to the story cited Greater Manchester Police officers saying they were treating the attack as a 'hate crime' and featured claims from "community sources" that the victim had heard " Islamophobic comments" at the time of the attack. 

Today - in that buried-away article on the Manchester page - the BBC reports that "a Greater Manchester Police spokesman said the force does not believe there was a racial motive to the attack".

Why isn't that being splashed by the BBC? 

So when it sounds as if an 'Islamophobic hate crime' has taken place it's a major BBC news story but when (a day or so later) the police change their tune and say the attack doesn't appear to have 'a racial motive', then all the 'Islamophobic hate crime' stuff disappears from the BBC's reporting, and the story itself tumbles from public sight. 

If that isn't deplorable journalism I'm not sure what is. 

Unless I'm missing something here. 

6 comments:

  1. The way the BBC loves to scream racism and /or 'phobia at every chance, however slight, you'd almost start thinking they like to stir the pot.

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    1. I still haven't found out exactly what Mark Sampson did to so pee off the BBC that they did the full monty character assassination on him...does anyone know? People say he was popular with his current players.

      Oh well, one can only hope AMD Waters gets elected as UKIP leader ,as the bookies all suggest, since Auntie (people don't say Auntie much these days do they? - she's hardly a loveable old relative any more) is going to have a fit of the vapours. There will be senior management meetings probably already taking place deciding how to exclude her from the airwaves if she does become leader. What excuses will they use? That she's not an elected anything I guess.

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  2. For the BBC, everything serves the narrative. This is why it is Fake News, not necessarily that what it reports is false per se (although in many cases itas in this case it often is). The "Islamophobia in the UK" meme serves several purposes: it deflects from the relaity that most terrorism in the UK is committed by followers of Islam; it helps disarm criticism of multiculturalism and mass immigration; it helps build the case against Brexit (since this is supposed to be evidence of the completely made up "huge rise in hate crime since the Referendum vote to Leave"); and it protects the false ideology of PC multiculturalism ("all cultures are of equal value")by drawing people's attention away from Sharia.

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  3. This is an example of the 'Golden Hour' during which the BBC are free to speculate and promote their agenda. This is where unbridled bias is shown. When the facts emerge, they just go quiet without so much as an Oops, Sorry!

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  4. The "deplorable journalism" began the moment they used speculation as a driver for the story. From where that speculation originates need not be clarified, vague "sources" or local gossip seem to suffice as justification.

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  5. #BBCeditorialintegrity is a wondrous thing.

    Especially if challenged.

    Asking for an explanation of why neither time nor space was available for the facts but a shed load was devoted to speculation that was on narrative might see Complaints mutter about anything bar the actual question, and if moved to an FOI an exemption kick in for sure.

    The BBC journalistic 'purpose' gets clearer daily.

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