June 27, 2003

British Government Takes Gloves Off in BBC Battle

The British government, locked in a battle with the BBC over a claim officials doctored intelligence on Iraq, challenged the state broadcaster on Thursday to answer questions on its reporting standards.

Alastair Campbell, Prime Minister Tony Blair's communications supremo, has been accused by the British Broadcasting Corporation of "sexing up" a dossier on Iraq's weapons that helped build the case for war.
[...]

But Campbell, who in turn has accused the BBC of biased reporting on Iraq and of slandering his name, gave the BBC until the end of Thursday to respond to more than a dozen questions about the allegation and its general working practices.

Blair's office has weighed in on Campbell's side but refuses to say what action it will take if the BBC fails, in its words, to "set the record straight."

"A highly damaging allegation was made that went right to the heart of the integrity of the government on a very important issue," Blair's spokesman said on Thursday.

The spat -- by no means the first between British governments and the state broadcaster -- erupted after the BBC, citing an anonymous intelligence source, said Campbell had pressed the security services to include a claim in a September dossier that Iraq's weapons could be deployed within 45 minutes.
[...]
An indignant Campbell on Wednesday accused the BBC of lying and demanded an apology.

Of course the BBC lies, Mr. Campbell!
But thanks for speaking the Truth out loud.
BTW, our NYTimes and frequently the WaPo lie, too...and the LATimes.
And those are just the papers.
In fact, it's almost the rule, rather than the exception in the Anglosphere's Liberal Media for them to lie, distort and spin "facts" their way to make their ideological point.
I believe it was Lenin (or was it Marx?) who said that control of the press/5th Estate was key to a Socialist revolution.
I hope this confrontation works for Campbell and Blair, though!
I only wish someone with some clout in Britain had spoken up about 3 weeks sooner.
Good luck and Bravo!
And while you're at it, please ask them to stop calling Islamist terrorists "militants!"
Thanks.