Biased Election Coverage

FoxNews reports that the BBC unveiled details of its U.S. election coverage:

Headlining the coverage is an election special featuring “Fahrenheit 9/11” director Michael Moore Joining Mr. Moore will be former Clinton adviser Sidney Blumenthal, former Clinton secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and the militantly anti-Bush billionaire, George Soros. Fair and balanced?

Don't worry, the BBC is concerned about biased coverage of President Bush. BBC World Service and Global News director Richard Sambrook was at Columbia University Tuesday, lecturing budding journalists about the U.S. media’s bias “in favor” of George Bush and the war in Iraq.

Editor & Publisher reports that a new study for the non-partisan Project for Excellence in Journalism found that in the first two weeks of October President Bush received much more unfavorable coverage than did Kerry. More than half of all Bush stories were negative in tone during this period. Only one-quarter of all the Kerry stories were negative, according to the study.

We should also consider the CBS Rathergate and now the NYTrogate attempted October surprise.

Finally, don't forget that former BBC Chairman Gavyn Chairman Gavyn Davies, Director General Greg Dyke, and Reporter Andrew Gilligan had to resign after Lord Hutton found the suggestion in BBC reports that the Britsh government "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons with unreliable intelligence was "unfounded."

Give me fair and balanced anytime.

Comments

[rod]

You only have to look at any question time panel to see that the BBC is impartial. It only appears biased to Fox because almost everybody outside of America thinks George Bush is bad for the world independant of right or left leanings. The license fee is more than worth it to ensure that the BBC stays neutral rather than being driven by the interests of big business (and 'The Office').

[symptomless]

I'd just like to clear this up. Fox misrepresented the BBC's US election coverage, their reasons for doing this are many and varied.

Anyway, here's link to the BBC's coverage:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/features/us-debate.shtml

Since the guests include Stephen Moore, Frank Gaffney and even Fox's Bill O'Reilly its worth getting the facts before casting apportioning blame or bias.

Here's the BBC's in depth coverage of teh election:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/americas/2004/vote_usa_2004/default.stm

See for yourself who's biased, rather than let Fox do it for you.

£120 well spent.

[rosignol]

I am an 27 congolese (Africa) who lives in Europe. I would like to find out if americans know the way people in Africa, the middle east and Europe and see them.
and do you really feel safe outside america?

I don't know, and feeling safe outside of the US depends on exactly where I am at the moment. In Tokyo, Berlin, Rome, Hong Kong, or Paris I wouldn't be at all worried, if I was wandering around the tribal areas in Pakistan, I'd be very concerned.

For a bit of historical perspective, the way Africans think of Americans today can't be worse than it was when slaves were being shipped across the atlantic.

So how are Americans viewed in the part of Africa you're from?

[Dean Esmay]

Esperance: We have a fairly good idea how we are viewed. We find much of it rather ill-informed and offensive, but we have an idea.

[Espérance]

I am an 27 congolese (Africa) who lives in Europe. I would like to find out if americans know the way people in Africa, the middle east and Europe and see them.
and do you really feel safe outside america?

[David Crawford]

Cal Yankee,

That panel of four looks pretty balanced to me. They represent opinions from the left to the far left.

[Ted]

The sad thing is in Britain we are forced to pay £120 a year for this balanced reporting whether we like it or not.