[Media-watch] BBC stifles dissent

[david Miller]

More evidence that the BBC is desperate to stifle as much dissent as it can:

> Organisers of tonight's televised British Academy Film Awards are braced for 
> the event to be overshadowed by celebrity attacks on British and American war 
> plans. 
> 
> 'Like Bafta, we want the event to stay a celebration of film,' said a BBC 
> spokeswoman. 'There will be time for slight editing before the event is 
> broadcast 'as live' on BBC1, but we have asked all recipients to be as brief 
> as possible with their speeches. When it comes to editing, we will be 
> concentrating on what is appropriate to the event.' 

I can't find details of the production staff.  If anyone else can, please circulate.  I have written to the BBC to ask them! In the meantime please write to complain to: 

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Full report from the Observer below.

http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,901245,00.html

Bafta braced for anti-war protests tonight 

Vanessa Thorpe, arts and media correspondent
Sunday February 23, 2003
The Observer 

Organisers of tonight's televised British Academy Film Awards are braced for the event to be overshadowed by celebrity attacks on British and American war plans. 

'Like Bafta, we want the event to stay a celebration of film,' said a BBC spokeswoman. 'There will be time for slight editing before the event is broadcast 'as live' on BBC1, but we have asked all recipients to be as brief as possible with their speeches. When it comes to editing, we will be concentrating on what is appropriate to the event.' 

Among stars lined up to present an award is Tim Robbins, the actor who spoke at last weekend's anti-war rally in London. Robbins, and his partner, the Oscar-winning Susan Sarandon, have a record of using awards events to make their views known. In 1992 they were banned 'for life' from the annual Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles when they denounced the US detention of Haitian immigrants. 

Film director Pedro Almodovar is also due to attend tonight. His film Talk To Her has been nominated in the foreign language category and, if he wins, he may use the occasion to criticise the Bush-Blair policy on Iraq. Speaking to crowds of up to a million anti-war protesters in Madrid last weekend, he said: 'The only preventive war is peace.' 

Jim Broadbent, star of Moulin Rouge and Iris, has been asked to present an award. He is a signatory to the stop-the-war petition. 

Actress Natascha McElhone, who stars in Solaris and will present an award, is thought to have strong views and is married to Martin Kelly, the plastic surgeon who founded the Facing the World Charity. Her co-star and friend George Clooney is not expected to attend the event tonight, but has made his views clear this weekend. Speaking to Sue Lawley on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs this morning, he reveals he took part in last Saturday's anti-war march in Berlin. The Grammy music award ceremony, to be broadcast live from New York City, is worrying CBS bosses who fear at least one star plans a dramatic gesture. 

The microphone may be cut off on star performers, including Eminem, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor if they say anything deemed too political. 

At last week's Brits award show in London, George Michael and Ms Dynamite sang a new version of Michael's 1987 hit, Faith, and Ms Dynamite had the line: 'I don't want blood on my hands.'