Caught: BBC's Shocking First Response to Terror Attack

Great evenning as a proud American swiss conservative I refuse to see bbc but I must make a comment to the BBC, your news is always pro islamic and anti israel???? why are you guys scared??? well we saw the whole hostage crisis when the british soldiers were held captive what a joke... and the terrorist president of iran Ahmadinejad released them, so nicelly to tony blair. who do you think you are fooling. god bless America god bless israel. military action against iran yes and today walking in the streets of london how many british can i see???
how many mosques can i see well i can see them very well indeed,,,,,,,

Posted by: TIRDAD GHARIB at Jul 2, 2008 5:04:27 PM

it's time the BBC broke with tradition and reported the facts as they occurred.

Posted by: Joel Rose at Jul 2, 2008 5:05:03 PM

Sorry, your first par. regarding the BBC's initial headline is not convincing with regard to showing anti-Israeli bias. It merely says that a bulldozer incident took place in Israel. There is no suggestion of fault or any other particulars.
Sincerely,
D. Schultz

Posted by: D. Schultz at Jul 2, 2008 5:05:46 PM

There is no excuse for the BBC to favor one side over another. Clearly the Arab was to blame for the incident with the bulldozer. The BBC are supposed to be impartial journalists.

Posted by: Jeffrey Storey at Jul 2, 2008 5:07:43 PM

As bad as BBC's initial reportage was, the JPost was worse.

I went from BBC, first to Haaretz, then to the Post. The Post added a slide show of the attack to their story. I clicked on the slide show. It opened with a banner at the bottom of the screen asking the viewer to vote on whether "It is OK to unconditionally meet with Anti-American foreign leaders?" Below this was "www.johnmccain.com." Clicking to vote opened a new tab with pictures of Ahmadinejad and Obama next to each other, and the question was reasked. Am I, as Jew, being thin skinned, or is there something everyone should all be offended by?

Posted by: Roy Fuchs at Jul 2, 2008 5:15:03 PM

NPR had an eyewitness report on it's early morning broadcast by a BBC reporter who was on the scene. He did report it accurately and immediately. How it was changed by the editor(s) in London is a different story. But they got it right the first time!

Posted by: David at Jul 2, 2008 5:15:20 PM

It's clear that the power of the pen is mightier than the sword and that BBC's reporting is geared to influence the thinking of millions of people. Why should the Russians need to resort to a return to fascist communism when they can hire these social engineers to control how people think without force! It's sickening. May G-d help us all to turn around a world running amok with liberal fascism and sophisticated anti-semitism.

Posted by: Matt Topas at Jul 2, 2008 5:15:53 PM

Its a great pity that a bulldozer doesnt wipe out the offices of these bigoted lovers of the dish-cloth headed camel jockeys

Posted by: Julian Rod at Jul 2, 2008 5:17:41 PM

Decades ago, BBC stood for the British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC today stands for Bovine Buttocks Concentrate oozing with a pungent odour of propaganda craftily created to mislead.

The BBC is a national disgrace to Britain and British tradition.

Posted by: Ami at Jul 2, 2008 5:42:00 PM

It seems that complaining to the BBC directly is of little benefit. Wouldn't it be better to write directly to members of the British government including the prime minister. I'm sure that the government funds the BBC and they might not be pleased to see the bias against a supposed friendly nation.

Posted by: Paul at Jul 2, 2008 5:46:17 PM

The Jerusalem Post is considered a right of center paper and is Jewish managed and staffed. In their story we learn from the headline that a 'bulldozer driver' went on a rampage.

It takes 6 paragraphs to mention he is a terrorist, and 2 more paragraphs to mention he is Palestinian. We never learn he is Arab.

Perhaps the BBC is taking its cues from the Jews?

Can one blame the BBC for its biased and misleading reporting when Jews set the standard for demonizing Jews?

When Jews find their integrity, the BBC will find theirs.

Posted by: Michael at Jul 2, 2008 5:49:42 PM

On BBC Radio 4 main lunchtime news program 'The World at One', the first mention was a headline which said 'Israeli police have shot dead a man who ploughed a bulldozer into a bus in West Jerusalem killing 5 people and injuring 30 others'. As usual, the emphasis is on the killing by Israeli police, even though the number murdered by the terrorist was much greater.
I phoned to complain immediately, and when the program covered the story in more detail (some time later), the initial statement of events started with the actions of the terrorist and ended with the account of his death - so that was a fair account. The program can be heard again on http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/wato/ .
Funny how they never, ever favour Israel when they produce an unbalanced report or headline.

Posted by: Peter Thomas at Jul 2, 2008 5:51:26 PM

I always thought journalists were supposed to report FACT rather than fiction. And I always viewed the British as intelligent people. Their journalists certainly do not report FACTS and the fact that they consistently side with terrorism doesn't support my belief they are a poeple of intelligence anymore.

Posted by: Fran Morrison at Jul 2, 2008 5:53:00 PM

Although I have always agreed with your analysis in the past, I think that you've overreacted this time. The headlines didn't use "Israeli" but "Israel" and "Jerusalem", both of which are correct.

Posted by: Alan Katz at Jul 2, 2008 6:07:45 PM

It is unfortunate that a source so highly regarded in the past has fallen prey to taking sides rather than reporting the facts. There should be an investigation into the editing tactics of the BBC. Until that time we will refrain from using them as an information source.

Posted by: dor at Jul 2, 2008 6:14:51 PM

BBC SHOULD BE BOYCOTTED. NOT JUST FOR A DAY OR A WEEK BUT FOREVER. IF EVERY JEW TURNED THEM OFF FOR GOOD THEY WOULD FEEL THE DIFFERENCE.
BUT WE CAN THANK OLMERT FOR THIS TRAGEDY AS WELL. I DON'T ENVY HIM WHEN HIS DAY OF RECKONING COMES. AND IT WILL JUST AS IT DID FOR THE TRAITOR SHARON.

Posted by: Yehudis Engel at Jul 2, 2008 6:45:12 PM

Please note that NPR similarly reported this morning's terror, beginning its announcement by highlighting that Israeli police killed a Palestinian in Jerusalem, before NPR reported that the bulldozer driver killed Israelis. The death of Israelis was qualified, it appears, by NPR's statement that this fact was provided by Israeli authorities - is NPR leaving it to the listener to determine if such a report should be credited? In any event, NPR's report plausibly leaves the listener to wonder if the bulldozer driver just had a bad day behind the wheel...

Posted by: Bernice at Jul 2, 2008 6:48:07 PM

It's awful to think that a Jew could have carried out this outrage.

Oh, it wasn't a Jew - it was a Palestinian? Sorry, but you'd never have known that from Tim Franks' broadcast. Maybe it was a Zimbabwean protesting at Robert Mugabe's government. Maybe a Tibetan, protesting Chinese restrictions on Tibet. In fact, you'd never know who was responsible, because the BBC's "reporter-on-the-spot" didn't bother to include that vital piece of information.

Posted by: Nigel Blumenthal at Jul 2, 2008 7:08:46 PM

Roy Fuchs, it's called a paid advertisement, not editorial policy. Get it???

Posted by: g at Jul 2, 2008 7:41:26 PM

I am so grteful that you picked up on the BBC headline- I was driving in JERUSALEM at the time, listening to the unfolding story of the terror attack on Israel radio. I turned to the World Service to hear their take on the story and my recollection is of hearing something like " Israeli police report that they have shot a Palestinian (pause) who was driving a bulldozer into people on a crowded mainstreet in Jerusalem" ( the driver was an Arab with Isreali citizenship)
I was appalled but not surprised!!

Posted by: at Jul 2, 2008 8:27:42 PM

I'm surprised that people even relate to BBC as it is a well known fact that BBC stands for (please excuse me for writing this but I'm trying to be as accurate as possible)

BBC = Bullshit Broadcasted Continuously

Please live healthier & longer - refrain from reading/watching/listening to BBC

Please e-mail this to your e-mail list

Posted by: Lo megale at Jul 2, 2008 8:34:05 PM

It is no wonder that the BBC would do this. Remember, it was Great Britain that decided to divide up Jerusalem instead of giving the whole thing to Israel. Israel had a claim to Jerusalem long before the Muslims. Mohammed wasn't even born until around 600 A.D.

God bless Jerusalem, and God bless Israel.

Posted by: Moshe at Jul 2, 2008 8:59:43 PM

What a ridiculous story.

Its a bulldozer in Israel. At the point the news was breaking they don't have a clue whether the driver is greek or scottish or whatever. He could be a tourist on holiday who's gone nuts.

As such, Israel bulldozer driver seems a fair description

When an innocent Brazilian was shot dead in a London tube, the BBC was busy trotting out UK govt spin - we were told he was a muslim suicide bomber who vaulted barriers and ran from police.

Where was this BBC bias that day?

You paranoid loonies need to take off your tin foil hats. There is no conspiracy. You sound like idiots printing tosh like this.

Posted by: Tonto at Jul 2, 2008 9:26:06 PM

Dear Tonto:
Nothing hurts like your own shoe a couple of sizes too small.
Yes, when attacked right at home, terror has a much more frightening face; that's why the BBC jumped to the conclusion of an "Islamic suicide bomber." Their own behinds were on the line! In the heat of the moment they simply made a wrong assumption.
That is not how the BBC covers Israel and its struggle against her enemies. (It may be news to some in Britain, but Israel's enemies are Britain's enemies as well.) Perhaps it has something to do with T.S. Lawrence and "romance of the noble Arab." Well, that notion - even though it lingers - is quite passe. Britain better wake up from its stupor, stop being so "neutral" in its treatment of Israel and recognize it as a friend in need and in deed.

Posted by: Scorpio at Jul 2, 2008 10:35:13 PM

BBC and Honest Reporting... It make me laugh. Everybody knows that the BBC is lead by a pro-Arab team (read Al-Jezeera) so what would you expect?! I do not watch the BBC because their repoting is biased not only when Israel is the topic. I want to see the BBC reporting when England becomes an Islamic Kingdom.

Posted by: Ariane Hechter at Jul 2, 2008 10:48:39 PM