Monday morning, and let's deal the important
business first. While having lunch with my parents yesterday my Mum said about
my blog, "You are very naughty, leave the poor man alone". I have given
her suggestion due consideration and will act accordingly. Business as normal
then...
It was a busy day on my blog on Friday with over 250 visitors. My
usage statistics tell me that a lot of these arrived at my site following some
comments I made on a BBC news page containing guidance for journalists when
using Twitter. My comments were posted without modification and included a link
to my blog. How nice of the BBC to promote it ... thank you!
Let's
continue with a quick look at the news stories you won't be covering today. You
have a choice of source for the first one...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9073142/BBC-buried-Savile-sex-abuse-claims-to-save-its-reputation.html
BBC 'buried Savile sex abuse
claims to save its reputation’
The BBC shelved a
Newsnight investigation into allegations that Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused a
teenage girl in his dressing room at Television Centre, it has
emerged.
BBC shelved Jimmy Savile sex
abuse investigation 'to protect its own reputation'
The
BBC shelved a Newsnight investigation into allegations that Sir Jimmy Savile
sexually abused teenage girls at its studios, it has been
revealed.
There is not a lot that can be done now about any alleged
misdemeanours that Mr Savile may have committed, but the BBC's behaviour is
incredible. This is nothing more than a cover-up of a story in which the BBC has
already invested TV Licence Poll Tax payers' money, and all for nothing. As for
their reputation, this cover-up does not damage the BBC's reputation - it
enhances it! It reinforces the view held by many that the BBC
only tells its viewers and listeners what it wants to broadcast: a filtered,
manipulated, sanitised and biased version of what is actually "news". And, of
course, your programme is no different.
Talking of filtered, manipulated,
sanitised and biased news, here is a story from the Daily Mail...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099922/BBCs-Weather-Test-washout-bid-check-accuracy-forecasts-vanishes-storm-wrangling-predicted.html
BBC's Weather Test washout:
Bid to check accuracy of forecasts vanishes in storm of wrangling that no one
predicted
A row between weathermen threatens to wreck a
BBC-funded project to test the accuracy of Britain’s weather forecasts. The
study, estimated to have cost tens of thousands of pounds of licence fee payers’
money, has been devised by the BBC’s senior environment analyst, Roger Harrabin.
But seven of the eight forecasters and bodies asked to take part have not
agreed, with two blaming Mr Harrabin for undermining the study’s credibility,
claiming that his reputation is tarnished by his close links to green groups who
believe in man-made climate change.
While I take anything that
Harrabin tells me with a lorry load of scepticism, these checks are actually a
good idea. However, they must be run by a trustworthy and impartial body, and
the BBC is neither of those.
And finally...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9074284/BBC-spends-19000-treating-stressed-out-staff-at-The-Priory.html
BBC spends £19,000 treating
stressed out staff at The Priory
The BBC would not reveal
whether executives were referred to the centre for mental health issues or for
drug addiction, but confirmed it had spent £18,949 on treatments in 2010 and
2011 because there was a “compelling” business reason to do so. However, it is
understood that the corporation agreed to spend licence fee payers’ money on the
care centre because its staff were “severely stressed” because of a series of
initiatives which had not gone according to plan, and the pressures of cost
cutting. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: ...
“Most BBC viewers can't afford to convalesce at this kind of retreat. The NHS is
good enough for licence-fee payers, so it should be good enough for BBC staff
too."
Bless. I used to have a stressful job, but I was never offered
treatment of this kind. Perhaps that was because my employers at that time did
not have the advantage of the "unique way in which the BBC is
funded".
Your Twitter feed has just told me that you will not be covering
the arrests of various hacks from The Sun today (tomorrow maybe?) and instead we
will have to endure this load of tosh instead...
1) GREECE - Violence
flares in Greece as its parliament passes an unpopular austerity bill as part of
the bailout deal. What is life like for ordinary Greeks as economic hardship
bites?: I cannot imagine. I was fully aware that it was kicking off in
Athens last night, but what a shame that BBC TV News could not be bothered to
tell me anything about it. The early evening broadcast spent over 6 minutes (out
of 15) telling me that some drug raddled former celebrity had achieved her
ultimate ambition, and yet devoted less than 90 seconds to a major uprising in a
European capital that could well have an affect on every country in the EU. It
was clear which story was most important to the programme editor, but this only
continues to show the deep corruption of "public service" broadcasting of real
news which is just another facet of the BBC's devaluing of its audience as
so-called celebrities steal the headlines. Later coverage again seemed to spend
more time covering the BAFTAs than anything happening in Greece. The BBC is in
receipt of millions of pounds from the EU, so perhaps the images of Athens
ablaze are seen as unhelpful while the possible death of democracy is taking
place. From what I saw, the BBC were unable to find anyone who could point out
that unelected technocrats imposing Germanic austerity against the will of the
Greek people is not really "democracy" in the first place. Your chat with Ken
earlier failed to convince me that your programme will be any different to what
I saw, or didn't see, last night. Next...
2) FROZEN RIVER - A man who
stripped down to his underwear and crawled across a frozen river to rescue his
trapped dog has been condemned by firefighters : There is no ice here, we
don't have a dog, and I have more sense in my little finger. Next...
3)
WHITNEY HOUSTON - We reflect on the death of one of the most celebrated
female singers of all time, Whitney Houston : I always knew that astronaut
Jim Lovell's famous line would always have another meaning one day. Whitney's
records used to shoot-up the charts with such speed. When I heard the news I
couldn’t help but crack up with emotion and it was nothing like ecstacy. She was a real heroin. It’s such a
blow. She really made a hash of things though and her life just went to pot.
Someone should have kept tabs on her. Can you tell I care as much about her now as I did
on Friday? Next...
4) SPITTING - Enfield in north London wants to be
the first area in the country to ban spitting in public : I don't spit,
and I am not aware of Gwynedd council taking the same measures. However, if I do
start spitting, and if I ever go to Enfield, I shall consider myself educated by
your programme. Cheers!
The Jeremy Vine Show - enough to make anybody
spit
