BBC and Katrina

So Tony Blair thinks that the BBC's coverage of Hurricane Katrina was 'full of hatred of America' and 'gloating' at the country's plight. Interesting that he should have burbled these comments to one Rupert Murdoch, the Brit-hater in chief! Murdoch's grasp of the British media is fairly well known. At times it seems like it is in his stranglehold. Blair has cozied up to Murdoch in the hope that good things will be reported.

The BBC has reported basically similar things to Sky News (Murdoch's British version of his Fox News in the USA). The only difference is that the reporting is without the simpering smiles and tabloid type commenting that Sky News excels in. The truth was hard to hide whoever was reporting - CNN, BBC, ITN, Sky, and CNBC! The federal government of the USA was caught napping! Karl Rove was having his kidney stones attended to!

Also, there is ghastly poverty in the New Orleans area, or was until Katrina, and this was glaringly exposed for all to see. American broadcasters have traditionally been self-censors in order not to upset "The Hill" and the White House. Katrina has revealed these cosy arrangements with a vengeance.

Blair thinks that any comment that the BBC makes that reveals unpleasant truths will be unhelpful to his crusades. I don't think the BBC is that biased. Both conservative and left-leaning politicians have felt the BBC was not on their side. The BBC should not be on their side. The BBC should be on our side reporting the truth.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1572747,00.html

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