Moment of Candor from the BBC

Too many times we see Western journalists reporting from countries run by dictators without reporting directly on the local civil rights restrictions that constrain free media practices. So it was a pleasant surprise to find this line in the BBC's reporting earlier this week on the "assault" on the US Embassy in Damascus:

Syria is an authoritarian state where the security forces exert tight control on the population and the media.

Woah! Say it ain't so, old chap! The line comes almost at the end of the story, as if it's an afterthought. And the statement is not backed up by any factual evidence. But it's a doozy.

Next time, that line should be the lead. And the ways in which Bashar Assad's regime maintains its authoritarian grip on power need to be dissected and spotlighted for international audiences. It's time to stop giving Bashar a pass. The BBC's passing admission about the denial of basic civil rights should be just the beginning.

Comments

[Christos]

Rather the BBC than any American news network I've ever watched or listened to. Mind you, I suppose CNN is good if you're too lazy to actually listen to the newsreader speaking, and need a load of whizzing graphics to hold your attention. And Fox is great if you don't have a mind of your own.

Your website is actually pretty good, and funny in parts. But your information is very often plain wrong. For instance, I've just come back from Oman, where Sultan Qaboos -- who you claim is a crackpot dictator -- is in fact adored by his people. They hang his portrait in every hotel, restaurant and office in the country.

You also attack Qaboos for coming to power in a coup against his own father. Firstly, his father was a terrible ruler (and a terrible father) who suppressed his own people and refused international aid, so one might say the coup was justified; and secondly, the coup only succeeded with covert British help, indicating that the Western powers only fight for the cause of democracy in the Middle East when it's convenient for them.

So read up on your facts before you start making (or reproducing) ridiculous claims, like the idea that the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi is personally responsible for child slavery. As for Qaboos's hats...they're clearly cool.