BBC Gaza DEC appeal scandal

Protest over BBC Gaza appeal veto:
"The BBC says it cannot show the appeal [for the Palestinians] by the Disasters Emergency Committee because it does not want to compromise its commitment to impartiality" intones a BBC spin-droid.

But health minister Ben Bradshaw, a former BBC journalist, said it was 'an inexplicable decision' and that the reasons given were 'completely feeble'."
So even NuLabour can see that this decision was not good. Damn right. The reason given for exclusion was that it might show bias; but the exclusion itself is evidence of totally unacceptable bias.


There is going to be a demonstration outside the BBC, broadcasting House, Portland Place at 1.30 pm today, and the BBC itself is advertising the demo. (Bring dolls, wrapped in white shrouds). This, and the fact that the Today Programme broadcast an interview with Tony Benn, suggests that a civil war over this decision is being waged within the BBC.

If you canot get to the protest, then you can act by making a complaint to the BBC,
phone: 03700 100 222 (I couldn't get through earlier, hopefully due to a mass of calls)
text: 03700 100 212
online http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complaints_stage1.shtml

In my complaint, I asked exactly who was responsible for the decision. They should be disciplined, preferably sacked.

If the great British public can swamp the BBC with complaints about the Woss-Brand SachsGate affair, which caused stress to one gentleman, then surely we can send them a signal that we will not tolerate their decision to deprive thousands of highly stressed Palestinians of desperately needed aid.

PS do not forget to donate to the DEC.