http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6199583.htm

.. is an interesting article. The beebs did a doco about Israel's WMD program, in particular its nuclear program. It revealed what I thought was public knowledge: that Israel has <a href="http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~time/articles/nurveIsreal.htm">sarin</a>, thermonuclear devices, neutron bombs, tactical nukes etc. It also told the less well-known story of the Israeli secret service's cover up of the Dimona nuclear plant, dodgy nuclear waste disposal, them pressuring workers not to talk to the media(even though they are dropping like flys from cancer).

It also made mention of the military censorship surrounding the disscussion of the Dimona plant, that the nuclear issue is taboo in their parliament and that weapons programme's fall under the control of the prime minister rather than any legislative body. I'm not sure how widely this is known in Israel, however, it is not likely to be well received

The Israeli reaction to this was both extreme and piss weak, IMO. They trotted out accusations of anti-semitism, whilst not disputing a single point of the BBC's documentary. They are threatening boycotts, specifically, "to impose visa restrictions on BBC staff and to refuse to make officials available for BBC interviews, or to help BBC journalists facing problems with army roadblocks and airport security checks."

I'm still mulling other thoughts, but a member of the Sciforums War Party once accused me of preferring state news agencies to private media companies; the BBC was the example in question.

And yet BBC is proving problematic all the way around, catching flak from the US, the UK, and now Israel.

Given that the implication at the time was that state-affiliated news agencies could not be impartial, one must wonder how a state-affiliated news agency like the BBC has managed to piss off everybody that it should, were it unduly influenced by the state, be making happy with propaganda.

I'm amused. Mildly.

In the meantime, I'll try to think of something more useful to the debate. I'm not sure, though, that the present Israeli government likening the BBC to the Nazis actually hurts the Beeb as much as it does raise the prestige of the National Socialists.

And that's a bit perverse, I think.

:m:,
Tiassa :cool:

T, the beeb is state affiliated in the sense that it isn't a commercial organisation, but is funded by the licence fee. However I don't think the govt has any influence over the beeb's journalistic mandate. However, having said that I for one wouldn't dismiss the possibility of the Govt applying some gentle "presure" on the heads of the BBC, in the future (if need be).
Channel 4 is the new rebel on the block here in England.

if it was up to me, i'd boycot all the major networks covering israeli affairs.

their disgusting impartiality in reporting about "the conflict", whatever reasons they have, just make me sick.

yet the BBC won't have problems with access anywhere (unlike if they pissed off an arab gov't.. in that case they'd be banned from entering the country all together) but they won't get special (kind) treatment like other networks do.

However I don't think the govt has any influence over the beeb's journalistic mandate.You don't know how happy I am to see this sentence. Especially the words journalistic mandate. Few people seem to remember that the press is considered a social institution, a pillar of society.

The next time I put up with sh@t about the BBC being government-affiliated, I'll send 'em your way. Well, I don't know. That may not be kind.

:m:,
Tiassa :cool:

Banned from entering the country? YOu mean like in Zimbabwe?

As for the BBC, it has a long history of doing roughly what the Establishment wants of it, carefully tiptoeing around controversial topics, avoding pissing off the prime minister. Until now that is, so maybe the BBC has improved.

T,
Few people seem to remember that the press is considered a social institution, a pillar of society

..Absolutely. The importence of journalism/journalists in society, especially today is greatly under estimated.
As Polliticians, policy makers, and Government bodies loose sight of reality gradualy more and more, the onus is now even more upon the shoulders of the journalists to "uphold" any semblence of truth, and justice, and expose wrong doings.

However everything I said above is, sadly idealistic, and just isnt the case.

I for one wouldn't dismiss the possibility of the Govt applying some gentle "presure" on the heads of the BBC, in the future (if need be).

...this, sadly will be the case, indeed it probably is in most countries


Guth:

As for the BBC, it has a long history of doing roughly what the Establishment wants of it, carefully tiptoeing around controversial

well I think that's a slightly sweping statment in that at any given period of time, if one was to analyse the journalistic integrity of the Beeb, you have to look at who's the head of Current Affairs, and head of programs. If these people are gutsy, and dont giev a shit, then that will reflect in the quality of the programs shown on the Beeb.
I for one watch the News on Channel 4, but watch the analyitcal programs of the Beeb, ie: newsnight, and Panorama.

...but yes ultimately any such Oraganisation such as the Beeb, will be subject to Govt control, ...the govt so far "seems" to be giving it a fairly free ride...but we dont know what is really happening in the deep dark corridors of power....:m:

And yet BBC is proving problematic all the way around, catching flak from the US, the UK, and now Israel.

Well I guess they must be doing something right:)

Dee Cee

Well, if the BBC makes a doco about nazi-like practises in Israel than I feel that some Israelis description of BBC being a nazi newspaper is a pretty accurate description :p


Seriously, the Amercan government condemned AL-Jahzeera for being a biased arab voice, while even the former iraqi minister of information started to call Al-Jahzeera biased towards the Americans when Al-Jahzeera just broadcasted the usa millitary advances in Iraq.

People don't like the bringer of bad news...

Ask people of the trade, Journalists, being left or right minded and most will agree that the BBC is one of the better newsservices out there!

The BBC isn't pro-Nazi; witness their treatment of the BNP.

Society as a whole is anti-Nazi and anti-Nationalist.

Israel is as usual proving what a pack of religious fanatics who need gassing they are.

Originally posted by Vortexx
Well, if the BBC makes a doco about nazi-like practises in Israel than I feel that some Israelis description of BBC being a nazi newspaper is a pretty accurate description :p


That doesn't make any sense. Try again.

Israel is as usual proving what a pack of religious fanatics who need gassing they are.

Gassing for what purpose ?

Anyways they are not religious fanatics one bit , their ideology relies in race not religion . Obviously they are not racial-puryfiers today , that is because the Jewish peoples have adapted their "common" Hebrew Identity as the replacement of the European racial theory of the Jews .

They're alot more like you than you'd like , they're brown-shirts buddy . :p

Religious fanatism within Judaism oftenly leads to not accepting Israel as a state and Zionism as an insult to Hebrew .

their disgusting impartiality in reporting about "the conflict", whatever reasons they have, just make me sick.

:p

You know you guys are killing me

Anyways the claims of Israel are outrageous , they seem to have forgotten what Nazi propaganda was all about , and ofcourse they totally forgot that actual Nazi propaganda back in the days was a good thing to them , I mean after all they appreciated the Reich's "goodwill" (Avraham Stern) and a Yiddish identity wasnt on the Hebrew roadmap to Palestine .

Originally posted by prozak
Israel is as usual proving what a pack of religious fanatics who need gassing they are.

:eek:
:(

Originally posted by prozak
The BBC isn't pro-Nazi; witness their treatment of the BNP.

Society as a whole is anti-Nazi and anti-Nationalist.

Israel is as usual proving what a pack of religious fanatics who need gassing they are.

I'm no Israeli apolgist, but that's way out of line.