BBC Distorts the News. Thurs 8th June

Yesterday a headline focused on the "scoop" of a BBC interview with a Taliban mullah describing his grandiose hostile intentions against British troops in Afghanistan. In the PM program the reporter described how he had recognised that the armed troops streaming past him were in fact the same men being recycled in a circular movement to attempt to convince him of the power at the disposal of his interviewee. Passing on from a side reference to the comic nature of this attempt, he focused on the more bloodcurdling threats. In the main news at six o'clock no reference was made to this attempt to manipulate the media. This interview and its threats continued to be headlined. This is the most outrageous example of news distortion that I have observed recently, unconsciously I am sure, the hominin psyche in action once more acting under survival pressure. These days the BBC, under pressure from competition, is evolving a tabloid attitude to the news because its survival, in particular its licence money, is continually on the line. Exaggerating the power of a Taliban opponent of our troops is a much sexier story than the true one, which would be about his need to falsify and aggrandize that power. Can you doubt what the headline would have been if something similar had been detected about the words of a government spokesman?

Though I haven't the time to spare, I cannot pass over this example. It is so appallingly irresponsible. Young men are out there listening who might be feeling attracted to this type of ideology and whose inclination might be increased by this type of coverage. The "comic" recycling of soldiers is just the sort of pin with which to prick the balloon but it was carefully buried unused. No assessment was attempted about how realistic the threats were, probably because they were in fact very unrealistic and that would be a very unsexy story! The BBC always manages to give the impression that spokespeople like this mullah are more reliable, more to be trusted, than voices from the government side. They are never challenged, and the opportunities when they could be are ignored, while ministers for example are hassled with constant interruption and, I think deliberately, inaccurate questions so that in trying to set the record straight or even get out two sentences in succession they are made to sound shifty or as if avoiding the issue. Even the Dalai llama could be made to sound like the worst sort of crook by some of the questioning styles that one hears. Of course I'm not saying that Ministers in setting the record straight would not in fact be giving their own spin to the matter; but I think this spin is in the end less damaging. I was pleased with the result of the recent survey that suggested that in Britain politicians are trusted more than the media for that very reason: the media are not accountable and therefore their distortion of the truth is far more dangerous. No wonder all forms of terrorist organisations are so willing to use the media, and I've used the word use advisedly; they know they will get a "good press" because that's where the profit lies. The hominin psyche, unrecognised and in control, always follows the survival imperative. The career of every reporter in the media is enhanced by giving them that good publicity.