Yesterday (9th August) the Israeli airforce bombed civilian neighbourhoods in Gaza. Among the deaths were a pregnant woman and her young son. The BBC website covered the incident with this headline:
That headline was uncontroversial, accurate and balanced.
Later in the day, the headline was changed to:
The second headline attempted to provide an excuse for air strikes on civilian areas. It tried to present the air strikes as justifiable punishment.
After the second headline was published, the Board Of Deputies expressed approval of the alteration:
The BBC’s cowardice is clear. A false, malicious and fraudulent complaint was made because the first headline was accurate and appropriate, and the BBC capitulated meekly. Such cowardice is incompatible with the BBC’s charter and an embarrassment.
The quick capitulation by the BBC demonstrated an abject lack of confidence in its own capacity to make informed intelligent balanced decisions.
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BBC: Bias and balance
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