From: Karl <karl@cookingwithkarl.co.uk>
To: Today.Complaints@bbc.co.uk
Date:Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 10:55 AM
Subject:
Propaganda and Dishonesty on the Today Programme
20th February 2015
The House of Lords
European Union Committee today published a report titled
The EU and Russia: before and beyond the crisis in Ukraine
largely critical of British and EU anticipation of Russia's behaviour in its satellite states,
stating
We also observe that there has been a strong element of sleep-walking into the current crisis, with Member States being taken by surprise by events in Ukraine
Well, here's the BBC at its objective finest for you: I've transcribed part of
this morning's Today programme [from 8:34:45]
featuring John Humphreys and James Naughtie in the preamble to their interview with former Chief of the Air Staff Sir Michael Graydon and Sir Andrew Wood, former British Ambassador to Moscow:
Europe has been sleep-walking into a crisis with Russia, we've just been hearing,
failing to understand President Putin's expansionist strategy and his vision of the European Union as a rival so says the EU committee of the Lords...
This is a lie.
EVERY use of the word
expansion in the document in question refers to NATO expansion (10 times!)
and the ONLY use of the term
expansionist in the document is in this quote:
Ms Sabine Lösing MEP said that
we are witnessing an intense power political struggle in which it was the West that initiated the contest with its expansionist policies
and where Russia now also increasingly reverts to hard power politics..
In other words the BBC is deliberately and dishonestly mis-representing the report by claiming it talks about
Russian expansionism,
when in fact it is
NATO expansionist policies that the document blames for Russia's subsequent reaction in the Ukraine and beyond.
An utterly disgraceful example of mendacious pro-EU propaganda by the BBC.
Disgusted of Edinburgh
From: Today Complaints <Today.Complaints@bbc.co.uk>
To: Karl <karl@cookingwithkarl.co.uk>
Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2015 at 11:32 AM
Subject:
RE: Propaganda and Dishonesty on the Today Programme
Thanks for writing and apologies for taking so long to come back to you.
I apologise for the use of the word expansionist in this instance.
The House of Lords Committee does not describe Putin's strategy in this way, as you point out.
Thank you for the feedback.
Kind regards
Sarah Nelson
Today
So not really my chorizo gratin at all then?
Glad you liked it!
For my dinner I had a plate of samphire mixed with spinach and coriander I cooked in beurre monté dressed with some dehydrated lemon juice for super-intense flavour and topped with fried lozenges of Sea Bass. But I'm sure your gratin was good too :)
#4 – 14 May, 2015 at 9:13 pm
So I constructed your Chorizo Gratin.
And damn fine it was too. I didn't quite have all the ingredients, so I had to wing it a bit:
I was missing a pepper so I replaced it with some more chillies.
I was missing an apple so I replaced it with some more chillies.
I didn't have yoghurt or sour cream, but it turns out just lovely if you use half-n-half single cream and buttermilk. Oh, and more chillies.
End result - delicious - though next time I think I may season a little more. And put in more chillies.
#3 – 14 May, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Hi Flora,
Not often you get a retraction from state propagandists, so I count myself honoured.
#2 – 15 April, 2015 at 12:23 pm
Good bit of observation from you there. Well done for speaking out. I am disappointed in the response you got though.
Commiserations
Edinburgh
#1 – 8 April, 2015 at 12:13 pm