The BBC's Newsnight does a hack job

Newsnight of October the 28, a BBC current affairs program, aired a prime example of why mainstream media is letting the British public down in fair and accurate reporting in discussing the conflicts our nation is involved in. The opening 20 minutes made absolutely no attempt to create a dialectic picture of what actually happened the day that an American Apache helicopter engaged a group of Iraqis due to the pilots mistakenly identifying a Reuters employees camera as an RPG.




The incident in question first came to light when internet site Wikileaks released the video from the helicopter earlier in the year. First we where presented with a puff piece about how brave US servicemen are in face of all the violence and horror. This was followed by an interview with Dr Kilcullen, a academic who advises the US military, that began with a discussion about the motives that may have led to two young children being in the fire zone. Dr Kilcullen at first refuses to speculate on this then does so less than five seconds later, well spotted Kirsty oh hang on she introduced the topic. So at least 3 or 4 mentions of a RPG that may or may not have belonged to one of the murdered Iraqis but the Reuters cameraman carrying a camera that was mistaken for a weapon leading to the commencement of the incident is only referred to once and is never expanded on.

Then accusations about Wikileaks being political are levelled, is this a bad thing when there are recorded cases of complicity by military personal in torture. Was the creation of the Geneva conventions not political, accords are military machines are supposed to be upholding.

Then we had unsubstantiated drivel worthy of the ''unnamed government officials'' that so often appear in the NY Times about what might happen to Afghans at the hands of the Taliban due to Wikileaks revelations. Yet in the last week or so the Pentagon on CNN said that no such incidents have occurred. Well done BBC standards dropping below that of CNN and matching the mouthpiece of the US foreign policy establishment.

I guess along with the UK intelligence services and British Aerospace who are both extensions of their respective American counterparts the BBC appears to has given up any pretence of impartiality to become an extension of theirs. I suppose if someone at the BBC is trying to keep the new Tory government happy, job well done.

Previously the amount of jingoism on Newsnight has generally not been as bad as the other UK television news programs. But tonight the lack of freedom that Newsnight enjoys when it comes to reporting the foreign adventures of the UK has been revealed.

At this rate maybe we will soon see Glen Beck taking over from Jeremy Paxman, I hear he's got a good line in Hitler comparisons.