[Media-watch] Panaroma Programme

[Darren Smith]

Jane,

Try sending your emails some of the following:

Presenter: Jane.Corbin at bbc.co.uk

Editor: Mike.Robinson at bbc.co.uk
Deputy Editors: Andy.Bell at bbc.co.uk and Sam.Collyns at bbc.co.uk
Producer: Fiona.Campbell at bbc.co.uk

(see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/2950827.stm)

The shorter and more concise your letter, the better chance they'll read
it and respond. If they don't respond after a couple of days, try
sending a reminder!

Darren


On Mon, 2003-04-28 at 14:43, jane herbstritt wrote:
> I sent this to the comments page on the Panarama website, but does anyone 
> have the email of anyone involved in the making of this programme, so that I 
> can send it direct to them?  I would like a reply from someone if possible.
> 
> 
> Dear Sir/Madam,
> 
> 
> I watched your programme on the British occupation in Basra with interest.  
> I gained some interesting insights into what it must be like for the Iraqi 
> people living under British occupation, and the programme had some objective 
> moments, but on the whole I found it both biased and racist.
> 
> Throughout the programme, the Iraqi people were portrayed as children 
> 'leaderless and afraid' and powerless to help themselves.  The film showed 
> the British soldiers treating the Iraqis like children: 'naughty children' 
> caught looting and pillaging, or 'good' children who proclaimed that they 
> wanted the soldiers to stay because the 'old leaders' were no good and they 
> were afraid of them.  As far as I could see, the soldiers did not have any 
> translators, and were relying on the Iraqis to fumble along in basic English 
> in order to make their needs clear.  The film did not challenge the 
> soldier's attitude, they only re-affirmed it.  Only 2 Iraqis were portrayed 
> in a good light.  The first was a rich, white man who had lost 10 of his 
> relatives in a missile attack meant for Ba'ath party members in the house 
> next door.  Despite losing many of his family, the man was portrayed as 
> wanting to make the best out of a bad situation.  The letter he had sent 
> demanding compensation from Tony Blair was mentioned only in passing.
> 
> The second example was an Iraqi man who spoke towards the end of the film.  
> He was the first to express the ambivalence that I think it is likely many 
> Iraqis feel about the occupation: that they are glad Saddam has gone, but 
> they are unhappy about the British troops being there especially as they are 
> not adaquately filling the power vacuum, and as Basra continues to be 
> without water or electricity.  However, this man was the exception in an 
> hour-long documentary.  Those involved in writing this documentary did not 
> question why so many Iraqis appeared to be so grateful that the British had 
> come in and occupied their city (if you were asked these things by a man 
> pointing a gun at you, how would you respond?)...and the journalist asked no 
> hard questions to the generals responsible for 'keeping order' in Basra.
> 
> I also object to the use of the nickname 'Chemical Ali'.  I do not dispute 
> that this man gave orders to gas thousands of Kurds in the eighties, or that 
> he is/was a despicable man.  But to give the man a name like a character out 
> of a comic book, is to degrade the Iraqi people and to make this war against 
> REAL people, seem less real.  Besides, if we are trying to be 'objective' 
> about this, should we not always refer to Tony Blair as 'Blair the Bomber' 
> or refer to George Bush as Bush a.k.a 'Petrolhead' ?
> 
> Finally, I would like to complain about the journalists' comparison of Iraq 
> under Saddam Hussein as equivalent to Germany under the Nazis.  Yes, Saddam 
> and Hitler were both hideous dictators.  Yes, they both killed thousands of 
> their own people.  However, the allied troops fought against Hitler because 
> he was invading other countries and was a real threat to many European 
> nations.  The INVASION of Iraq took place after 11 years of sanctions had 
> decimated a country, starved its people, destroyed its infrastructure, and 
> after weapons inspectors had removed most of the regime's weapons.  Britain 
> and America INVADED Iraq.  100 British and American soldiers have been 
> killed total.  Thousands of Iraqis have been killed.  In the Second World 
> War thousands were killed on both sides.  To compare Saddam's Regime to 
> Hitler's is to make war propaganda!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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