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| Israel-Palestine |
| BBC Reporter Wept Over Arafat |
| 2004-11-08 |
| The BBC has received at least 500 complaints, after its broadcaster said she "started to cry" when Arafat departed his ruined PLO headquarters in Ramallah for a hospital in Paris. Barbara Plett, BBC's Middle East correspondent, reported on a BBC Radio 4 program last Saturday her impressions of the sickly Arafat's departure. "When the helicopter carrying the frail old man rose above his ruined compound, I started to cry," she said. The Sunday Telegraph, reporting on the controversy caused by her remarks, noted, "The fact that a Middle East correspondent has such sympathies will fuel claims of BBC bias towards the Arabs." Righto! A historical rerun of this BBC dame's reporting concerning Jews & Arabs would VERY interesting. BBC sources were quoted as saying that Plett realized that her words were a "misjudgment." Oh, the wordsmith's of spin Plett's broadcast displayed her strong sympathy for Arafat, though among what she called his "obvious failings," she listed "his ambivalence towards violence." She was likely referring to the thousands of murders attributed to him and his men, earning him the commonly-used title, "father of modern-day terrorism." Plett also noted Arafat's "use of corruption [and] his autocratic way of ruling," but then said, "During those black days in Ramallah, he was a symbol of Palestinian unity, steadfastness, and resistance." She later added, "Throughout his years of revolution, peace, and uprising, the Palestinian leader has been an enduring national symbol." An editorial in the Telegraph stated, "Ms. Plett's flood of feeling is just the most overt and recent manifestation of a pro-Palestinian bias endemic within the BBC. As a publicly-funded organization, it should remember that it is not paid to take sides. As things stand, however, we might conclude that Mr. Arafat's culpable 'ambivalence towards violence' is echoed by our national broadcaster." The Telegraph Bodyslams the BBC! Danny Seaman, the director of Israel's Government Press Office, responded sharply. "This is a clear example of the problem that Israel has been facing for years," he told Ynet, "and that is the lack of balance in BBC reports... BBC never displayed feelings like that towards Arafat's victims." DITTO! |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #16 Christiane Amanpour from CNN wasn't much better. She said something to the effect that Palestinians wouldn't have gotten this far without Arafat. She was right of course. BTW, watching post-election CNN (since that's all we can get here), you can see that they've gone absolutely berzerk about Bush's re-election and the assault on Fallujah. Especially Paula Zhan. All she needs is a black jihadist banner behind her. And possibly an AK propped up beside her. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-11-08 10:10:01 PM |
| #15 She's gotta good future writing for STORMFRONT... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2004-11-08 6:26:11 PM |
| #14 Well, boo-hoo-hoo, you crazy bint... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-11-08 5:52:09 PM |
| #13 "Don't cry for me, infidel swiiiine!" |
| Posted by: BH 2004-11-08 10:12:20 AM |
| #12 Someone needs to be fired. I believe that the Israelis already did fire the BBC: denied them official status as a news organization. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-11-08 10:04:45 AM |
| #11 Everytime I write them I tell them I hope their headquaters is the victim of "militant suicide bombers." It doesn't take any effort to use their forms to screw with them. I have put some pretty vile but non vulgar stuff in them. If they gfet a big enough pile of them tehy might be forced to rethink their multinational socialist spin on every article they do. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-11-08 10:03:25 AM |
| #10 this is what passes for objective journalism these days. I am stunned. She should be fired. hell, al-beeb should just fold. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2004-11-08 9:59:23 AM |
| #9 Someone needs to be fired. the entire BBC operation needs to be taken off the public teat |
| Posted by: Dr. Craven Moorehead 2004-11-08 9:45:41 AM |
| #8 They should at least make this bitch take the public busses from now on. For me, it was probably the siege. I remember well when the Israelis re-conquered the West Bank more than two years ago, how they drove their tanks and bulldozers into Mr Arafat's headquarters, trapping him in a few rooms, and throwing a military curtain around Ramallah. I remember how Palestinians admired his refusal to flee under fire. They told me: "Our leader is sharing our pain, we are all under the same siege." And so was I. Bias? No bias here folks. Whats that? Someone needs to be fired. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-11-08 9:30:34 AM |
| #7 I think Barbara Plett covers Israel for the BBC when Orla "Bride of Skeletor" Guerin is too busy to churn out the propaganda. From what I've read and heard of Babs so far, Orla's still worse. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-11-08 9:26:02 AM |
| #6 "the mountain cannot be shaken by the wind." True,but the wind can sure wear a mountain down.Just look at Monument Vally,Utah. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-11-08 9:14:17 AM |
| #5 What bias,I see no bias!(bitch,drawn and quaghtered is to good for her) |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-11-08 9:07:00 AM |
| #4 BBC must be equivalent to CBS and Dan Blather. |
| Posted by: John Q. Citizen 2004-11-08 8:05:03 AM |
| #3 Here is that BBC link as a BBC rerporter cries for Arafish A perfect example of the fallen nature of the BEEB. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-11-08 7:46:42 AM |
| #2 Sock, you ain't the only one. But, no matter how much you prepare for it and expect it, nothing prepares you for the real thing. Read it and weep: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3966139.stm |
| Posted by: Ol_Dirty_American 2004-11-08 7:37:04 AM |
| #1 Well everyone knows how I feel about the BBC. It's state funded anti-US propaganda organ of the multinational socialist movement. So this doesn't suprise me in the least. I have altogether quit listening to the BBC or watching news on BBC America. That the BBC has a pro terrorist anti civilization ( pro Paleo anti Israel) bias has been true for years. Why should this suprise us? |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-11-08 7:15:38 AM |