From the Sunday papers

Here are a few BBC-related stories from the Sunday papers that you may have missed...

The Sunday Times alleges that the BBC is “glossing over” human rights abuses against migrants and detainees in Dubai and that an Emirati minder “oversaw filming” of the corporation's new “observational documentary” Dubai: Playground of the Rich. The paper gives examples, including:

In the third episode, a short segment shares the stories of tourists who have paid a “heavy price” in the past for not abiding by the “letter of the law”, including public displays of affection, sex outside marriage and homosexuality. But the section lasts only a minute and does not detail the long prison sentences, reported abuses of detainees or the UAE’s failure to allow access to UN experts and human rights organisations.

The Sunday Times accuses the BBC of “skirting controversy” - which sounds plausible. As we know all too well, they tiptoe very carefully around certain topics.

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Now, I must admit when I heard that Newsnight's 'everywhere correspondent' Gabriel Gatehouse had spent a year working on a podcast series about the events on Capitol Hill, Washington on 6 January 2021 I thought that Gabriel might have better spent that time preparing a 7-part podcast about the first year of the hapless Biden/Harris administration. Still, a review by Patricia Nicol in The Sunday Times has me intrigued:

Gatehouse tries harder here, reminding us that there have been information black ops, and blackouts, from both sides. He recounts the BBC’s own (fruitless) efforts, in early 2017, to stand up sensational claims that Trump was a Russian asset — smears that today look more like another disbelieving establishment trying to unseat a democratically elected president.

Interesting. Wonder why the BBC's QAnon-obsessed disinformation unit didn't tackle this?

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Meanwhile, for those with strong stomachs, the Mail on Sunday has a couple of paedophilia-related BBC pieces: How the BBC's lack of checks left children at risk of abuse for years after Jimmy Savile was exposed and Child sex offender was able to continue working as a BBC journalist despite his conviction.