[Media-watch] FW: [GSAW] Reply from the BBC after picket

[david Miller]

from Glasgow Southside Against War

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From: "Kev Kiernan" <kevkiernan at hotmail.com>
Reply-To: GSAW at yahoogroups.com
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 15:18:50 +0000
To: GSAW at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [GSAW] Reply from the BBC after picket

Greetings all.

For those who may be interested, I received this today - a good number of
weeks after the anti-war picket outside the BBC in Glasgow. This was a
response to the statement we handed in at the time demanding that the BBC
puts an end to its mass censorship of the anti-war movement and blatant
pro-war propaganda.
Please try not to read all of it as it may fucking bore you all to death.

Kev


24 April 2003


Dear Sirs,

Thank you for your recent letter regarding the BBC's coverage of the
anti-war movement and the conflict in Iraq.

On the day of demonstrations held around the world on Saturday 22 March the
BBC had rolling coverage on News 24 - along with debates and reports on all
other networks. The protests, particularly the largest in London, were given
extensive coverage, both before and during the march. On the day itself, the
rally was reported on all the BBC ONE bulletins and it also featured heavily
in a number of reports on Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live. BBC News 24 was also
broadcast on analogue for most of the day and included interviews with the
organisers as well as several of the more high profile supporters.

Political coverage of the war has also been in depth with the cabinet rift
dominating the news for several days - up to and including the resignation
of Robin Cook. Furthermore the views of political parties, such as the
Liberal Democrats, SNP and Plaid Cymru, as well as the main parties who were
in favour of the war, have been sought to reflect the breadth of opinion
across the UK.

Regarding the use of images; I am sorry you feel that the BBC is sanitising
its reports. Often the pictures available are extremely graphic. The
editorial decision can be finely balanced, but when we feel certain pictures
are unnecessarily disturbing, they will not be broadcast. Others can only be
shown after the 9pm watershed. Some pictures shown in other countries would
be deemed inappropriate to broadcast in the UK.

As a public service broadcaster the BBC does not support any viewpoint;
instead we seek to provide sufficient information to enable viewers and
listeners to make up their own minds about all differing aspects of this
conflict. The BBC's news output strives to identify all significant opinions
and test them rigorously on behalf of the audience. In an effort to ensure
the public receives the sort of comprehensive coverage they would expect
from the BBC, we will reflect the differing range of opinion, both in the UK
and across the world.

This means reflecting equally the views of those who support the war and
those who don't.

Yours faithfully


(John McCormick)


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