Politics and the BBC

[tobyaw]

With news yesterday that the head of the IAEA has refused to do an interview with the BBC, as he is boycotting them over the BBC’s decision not to show the DEC Gaza charity appeal, it makes me think that the BBC were wise not to show the film; anything that is controversial enough to lead people to protest could undermine their editorial independence.

Yes, I know the BBC have shown plenty of controversial programmes in the past, but there is a big difference between showing and standing by their own programming, and being pressured into showing an advert that was not created or commissioned by them.

Comments

[tobyaw]

Other channels may have shown it, but the two broadcasters with a significant international presence — Sky and the BBC — have chosen not to. They have a reputation to lose; ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 don’t.

The head of Sky News said, “…the nature of an appeal is that it sets out to provoke a specific response from the viewer. We don't believe that broadcasting such an appeal on Sky News can be combined with the balance and context that impartial journalism aims to bring to the highly charged and continuing conflict in Gaza.”

Sounds fair to me.