Wednesday 4 February 2009

BBC accused of racist slur on refinery worker.

This from the Telegraph , is effing disgusting:
The 10 o'clock news bulletin on Monday night carried a voiceover by the BBC's political editor, Nick Robinson, who said : "Beneath the anger, ministers fear, lies straightforward xenophobia." Viewers then heard a worker tell a BBC reporter: "These Portuguese and Eyeties – we can't work alongside of them."

But when the same interview with the same worker was shown on Newsnight later that night, he was quoted more fully, changing the meaning of his words.

Viewers heard the worker state: "These Portuguese and eyeties – we can't work alongside of them: we're segregated from them. They're coming in full companies."

The corporation has been criticised by civil liberties groups, MPs, trade unions and viewers who have lodged complaints.
Aren't the BBC great. When they can't twist words to make them sound racist, they just make it up as they go along.

Full story HERE.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh dear...

Daily Referendum said...

In - fu*king - deed.

Anonymous said...

They shouldnt make things up or cut clips to make things appear worse than they are but they should not be affraid of reporting xenephobia.

Nich Starling said...

I think you'll find it has more to do with BBC radio needing a 10 second sound bite and a 50 minute new programme showing things in more depth.

It could be worse. It could have been ITV and they would have gone to an advert break half way through the interview like they went to an ad break missing the Everton goal in the FA cup game tonight.

Gareth said...

The BBC likes doing that sort of thing.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the BBC can go any lower.

John M Ward said...

It's a very common journalistic technique, made so much easier with modern technology.

There are many others, some of which are probably as old as newspapers themselves: selective quoting, phrases in quotes surrounded by the journo's own words before and/or after in the same sentence, and hyperbole.

All this among other methods of putting out the message the paper wants — not the message that is true.

It's been done to me, I am seeing it being done to those around me, and I am well aware of the infiltration of the mass media by Common Purpose "graduates" and agents, so now I do not automatically trust anything from any of them.