BBC News Boss Slams 'Flag-Wrapped' U.S. Media

[jhain]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=599&u=/nm/20041027/media_nm/britain_bbc_media_dc&printer=1


Tue Oct 26,11:20 PM ET

By Adam Pasick

LONDON (Reuters) - The head of the BBC's news operations accused U.S. media organizations on Tuesday night of being overly patriotic in their coverage of the lead-up to the Iraq (news - web sites) war.



"Before Iraq, it seemed to me that some U.S. news broadcasters wrapped themselves in the flag and, as a consequence, did not perform the role the public expects of them," said Richard Sambrook, director of the BBC's global news division.

lots more...

[prayin4rain]

1. Damn right.

[jgardner]

2. I think they stopped doing their jobs

long before the Iraq war. It makes me sick to think that there isn't any news out there that hasn't been bought and paid for by someone. "Free Press" my ass.

[Warpy]

3. The one who showed some independence got anthrax,

lest you forget. That was a powerful inducement for the rest of them to toe the Bush party line. Same with Congress.

That is the one thing I want to see unraveled, the CIA anthrax mailings, who ordered them, who carried them out, and which members of the Bush crime family were involved.

Everything else is small potatoes.

[ProfessorPlum]

4. Ya think?

At least someone is saying it out loud.

[Maiden England]

5. some were so entangled they got permanently stuck!

[nine23]

6. My most enduring image...

...of the US media's complete failure in doing their jobs; indeed, destroying journalistic integity for years to come, happened the very night the bombing of Baghdad began:

On MSNBC, I saw a "news bunny", in full Air Force fighter pilot gear, standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier, giving the "thumbs up" to a fighter pilot about to take off for Baghdad.

For me, everything I learned about journalistic integity went down the drain at that very moment: a "real" reporter would NOT be caught dead wearing the fully unnecessary pilot gear, and would NEVER give the "thumbs up", regardless of his/her political leanings.

Minutes later, I watched Al Jazeera's plain, completely objective coverage FROM THE RECEIVING END OF THE BOMBING.

There's now dozens of examples of these failures - they'll be studied for years to come in journalism schools everywhere - but I'll never forget those images...

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. What - the real News Bunny?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1233927.stm

or just a news bunny?