This whole BBC Gaza Aid thingy

[AJS-]

What does anyone else think of this?

It surprised me as I consider the BBC a left wing broadcaster on the whole and bashing Israel is pretty popular with the left. Now I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of the whole Israel/Palestine thing, because it's another argument that can go on for years.

But if the BBC is meant to be an impartial broadcaster then surely the government should respect their decision not to cover it? How can they possibly now buckle to government pressure and keep any credibility as an impartial broadcaster? Or as being independent of political pressure?

[Raffles]

I for one think it's great that the BBC have been staying impartial, not jumping on this bandwagon.

[xrv]

AJS- said:

But if the BBC is meant to be an impartial broadcaster then surely the government should respect their decision not to cover it? How can they possibly now buckle to government pressure and keep any credibility as an impartial broadcaster? Or as being independent of political pressure?

The BBC hasn't been impartial for a while now.
They havn't been the same since the Iraq WMD report a few years ago.
If they do show it then it will prove that they are now little more than puppets of the goverment.

[Mondeohdear]

I agree that the BBC are not impartial, otherwise they would have shown the appeal for innocent victims of violence in Gaza - or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

[BigLepton]

Mondeohdear said:

I agree that the BBC are not impartial, otherwise they would have shown the appeal for innocent victims of violence in Gaza - or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

But if they had shown it, would they not also had to have an aid thingy for the Israeli victims of rockets fired from Gaza to stay impartial?

[AJS-]

Mondeohdear said:

I agree that the BBC are not impartial, otherwise they would have shown the appeal for innocent victims of violence in Gaza - or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

I don't believe that impartial broadcasting is possible in the first place. What bothers me is the pressure that they are coming under from the government and what that says about their independence from the government.

[mattley]

Mondeohdear said:

- or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

Well they voted Hamas into power so at least 51% of them are.

[Mondeohdear]

BigLepton said:

Mondeohdear said:

I agree that the BBC are not impartial, otherwise they would have shown the appeal for innocent victims of violence in Gaza - or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

But if they had shown it, would they not also had to have an aid thingy for the Israeli victims of rockets fired from Gaza to stay impartial?

Well, if there is an appeal for Israeli victims of rocket fire then yes they should. I'm not aware of any such appeal though if I saw one I'd be happy to consider donating.

[benoli]

Well done BBC for not giving in to peer pressure (Itv , C4 & Five)
at least one channel won't bombard us for appeals for our money

Besides which, I think the DEC appeals should be used for Natural Disasters (Hurricanes, Earthquakes etc.)
Hamas lobbing missiles into Israel, and forcing Israel to retaliate does not constitute as Natural in my eyes

[Funk]

Has anyone actually got any money to give away?

[ShadownINja]

Funk said:

Has anyone actually got any money to give away?

Well, Brown gave a few million of tax payers' money to India at the end of last year... just to put us further into debt (see that other thread showing our country's bank account to be the third worst negative after USA and Spain).

[elster]

I'm glad the BBC aren't showing it. They shouldn't be showing adverts.

I can think of a lot more worthy UK based charities that could do with the coverage.

[Scuffers]

elster said:

I'm glad the BBC aren't showing it. They shouldn't be showing adverts.

I can think of a lot more worthy UK based charities that could do with the coverage.

exactly...

at the end of the day, it's an advert, and thus has no place on the BBC, there are plenty of commercial stations that can show adverts.

[Nobody You Know]

At the moment I have no time for the BBC but this has shown a small twinkle of a once great broadcaster.

I will be very dissapointed if they bow to the idiot pressure.

[miniman]

elster said:

I'm glad the BBC aren't showing it. They shouldn't be showing adverts.

I can think of a lot more worthy UK based charities that could do with the coverage.

But that's the agreement they have with DEC. They offer an appeal slot on one or two occasions during each appeal. Do you think they shouldn't run trailers for Comic Relief?

[razbox]

BigLepton said:

Mondeohdear said:

I agree that the BBC are not impartial, otherwise they would have shown the appeal for innocent victims of violence in Gaza - or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

But if they had shown it, would they not also had to have an aid thingy for the Israeli victims of rockets fired from Gaza to stay impartial?

Oh yes, the 13 victims compared to the 1,300 in Gaza... we mustn't forget about them, especially given 4 of them were poor Israeli soldiers killed by their own Army.

Median household income in Israel is $30,000 (UK $37,000)and the 7th richest in the world. Gaza is $600 (source: CIA factbook).

[razbox]

mattley said:

Mondeohdear said:

- or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

Well they voted Hamas into power so at least 51% of them are.

On that basis, we're guilty of the Iraq war and the economic mess given we elected the people that got us into those.

[Muntu]

razbox said:

BigLepton said:

Mondeohdear said:

I agree that the BBC are not impartial, otherwise they would have shown the appeal for innocent victims of violence in Gaza - or do you believe that everybody in Gaza is guilty and deserves to suffer.

But if they had shown it, would they not also had to have an aid thingy for the Israeli victims of rockets fired from Gaza to stay impartial?

Oh yes, the 13 victims compared to the 1,300 in Gaza... we mustn't forget about them, especially given 4 of them were poor Israeli soldiers killed by their own Army.

Median household income in Israel is $30,000 (UK $37,000)and the 7th richest in the world. Gaza is $600 (source: CIA factbook).

Well, that is a crying shame for them isn't it. They need to be investing foreign aid in items other than rockets, guns and explosives. As and when they choose to do so, they might just see their GDP increase.

[Mr_B]

No appeals for religious based crap, more Tom and Jerry cartoons please.

[130R]

Screw them, until they get rid of Hamas they don't deserve any aid.