An MP responds
Do you all remember Louise Bagshawe, the British MP who wrote an article in London's Telegraph
blasting the BBC over its lack of coverage of the Fogel massacre? A British friend of mine here in Israel wrote her to thank her for her article and got this in response.
Dear Brian
Thank you for writing to me about my article in the Daily Telegraph concerning the BBC’s coverage of the tragic Fogel massacre that took place in Israel last month. I was however overwhelmed with amount of correspondence I received (over 450 emails alone) so please excuse this generic response.
It was terrible to see that the brutal murder of nearly an entire family was not picked up further by the British media, and in particular the BBC who have long heralded their neutrality and independence on reporting current affairs. I was glad to speak up for what I saw as biased coverage of a serious crime.
I expressed my grave concerns to the BBC and recently received a written response from the Director of BBC News. In her letter she makes clear concessions that, despite the number of news stories going on that day, in hindsight they should have found more room for the story on the BBC News Channel.
It is only by putting pressure on news organisations, and especially those funded by British taxpayers, that we can help to prevent atrocities such as this from being overlooked. In my role as a Member of Parliament and a member of the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee I feel I was able to deliver a clear message to the BBC in regards to their reporting on Israel.
One major reason the BBC listened and admitted fault was that I could point out to them how many emails and letters, like yours, I received. So your taking the trouble to write had a direct effect. I thank you for that and for your email. Although this is a standard response due to the overwhelming volume, can I assure you that over several hours I sat down and read every single email sent to me individually. It was an incredibly moving experience and I found myself in tears many times.
Thank you again, therefore, for having gone to the trouble of researching my email address (which was not mentioned in the original article) and having written in support. It had a direct effect, and we can only hope the BBC and others in the media will learn from this for future coverage.
For all those of you who are Jewish, may I wish you and your families a very happy Passover for next week.
With best wishes,
Louise Bagshawe signature JPEG (10)
Louise Bagshawe MP
There's a lesson there for all of us.
Labels: Balen report, BBC bias, Fogel family massacre, Itamar, Lord Patten, Louise Bagshawe, Palestinian terrorism
British MP blasts BBC coverage of Fogel massacre
British MP Louise Bagshawe has blasted the government-funded BBC for
their lack of coverage of the massacre of the Fogel family of Itamar (Hat Tip:
Honest Reporting).
As the mother of three children, one the same age as little Elad, who had lain bleeding to death, I was stunned at the BBC's seeming lack of care. All the most heart-wrenching details were omitted. The second story, suggesting that the construction announcement was an act of antagonism following the massacre, also omitted key facts and failed to mention the subsequent celebrations in Gaza, and the statement by a Hamas spokesman that "five dead Israelis is not enough to punish anybody".
There were more details elsewhere on the net: the pain and hurt, for example, of the British Jewish community at the BBC's apparent indifference to the fate of the Fogels. The more I read, the more the BBC's broadcast silence amazed me. What if a settler had entered a Palestinian home and sawn off a baby's head? Might we have heard about it then? On Twitter, I attacked the UK media in general, and the BBC in particular. I considered filing a complaint.
The next morning, the BBC's public affairs team emailed me a response that amounted to a shrug. The story "featured prominently on our website", they said. It was important to report on the settlements to put the murder in context, they said. In reply, I asked a series of questions: for how long did the massacre feature on TV news bulletins? On radio? On BBC News 24, with all that rolling airtime? Why were the Hamas reaction and Gaza celebrations not featured? And what about the omission of all the worst details?
It was only when I tweeted about their continued indifference that the BBC replied. Then they informed me that the Fogel story had not featured on television at all. Not even News 24. It was on Radio Four in the morning, but pulled from subsequent broadcasts. The coverage of Japan and Libya, they said, drowned it out. Would I like to make a complaint?
Do you know, I think I would. The BBC has long been accused of anti-Israeli bias. It even commissioned the Balen report into bias in its Middle Eastern coverage, and then went to court to prevent its findings being publicised. As a member of the select committee on culture, media and sport, I was at the confirmation hearing of Lord Patten of Barnes as chairman of the BBC Trust. I asked him about political neutrality. In reply, he said that he would give up his membership of a Palestinian aid organisation. Both I and another member asked about bias against Israel. Lord Patten denied any existed. What would he do if shown an example of it? He would ultimately take it to the BBC Trust, he said.
The day after Lord Patten uttered those words, the Fogel children were butchered to almost complete silence from the BBC.
Did Lord Patten suddenly become less hostile to Israel the morning after he resigned from the pro-'Palestinian' organization as demanded by the MP's?
The only thing that stuns me about this story is that Bagshawe was stunned. The BBC's bias against Israel has long been known and has been extensively documented. Perhaps, if she has a right to do so as a Member of Parliament, Bagshawe should demand to be shown the Balen report. Maybe she can even publicize some of it, so that either the BBC can be embarrassed into change, or the British public can know how its tax shillings are being used.
No, the BBC doesn't care.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Balen report, BBC bias, Fogel family massacre, Itamar, Lord Patten, Louise Bagshawe, Palestinian terrorism
Do you all remember Louise Bagshawe, the British MP who wrote an article in London's Telegraph blasting the BBC over its lack of coverage of the Fogel massacre? A British friend of mine here in Israel wrote her to thank her for her article and got this in response. 
