Blair says reporting of Katrina by BBC "full of hate for Americans"

[Nickatilynx]

Tony Blair says he "didn't much care for" some BBC reports about Hurricane Katrina, after claims he was angry at the corporation's "anti-Americanism".



But the prime minister told the BBC's Sunday AM programme: "I'm not making any great criticism of the BBC - you carry on doing whatever you want."

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch said Mr Blair told him the BBC World Service coverage was "full of hate of America".

The BBC said it was committed to "full, accurate and impartial coverage".

'Jealous of US'

The reported private conversation between Mr Murdoch and the prime minister took place in New York earlier this month.

Mr Murdoch, who owns the Sun, the Times and News of the World newspapers and Sky Television, labelled the BBC a "government-owned thing" that was "gloating about our troubles".

He said people around the world were jealous of the US, and anti-Americanism was common throughout Europe.

The News Corporation boss was speaking at a seminar hosted by former US President Bill Clinton, as part of his Clinton Global Initiative forum.

Mr Clinton said he had seen the report Mr Blair was referring to, and there was "nothing factually inaccurate" in it.

'Down-the-line'

But he said it was designed "almost exclusively" to criticise the Bush administration's response to the crisis.
said BBC coverage was "gloating"

But Mr Blair told BBC presenter Andrew Marr: "This is a conversation that was a private conversation and that's what happens with some things.

"There were certain bits of the reporting I didn't much care for, but that's my view.

"I'm not making any great criticism of the BBC - you carry on doing whatever you want to do."

The BBC said it was committed to full, accurate and impartial coverage and had not received a complaint from Mr Blair.

And the BBC's world editor Jonathan Baker has defended its coverage to Newswatch after similar criticisms from some BBC News viewers and users.

He said most of its output had been "absolutely down-the-line straightforward reportage", but added the president had made himself the "figurehead" of the disaster response. "If things are not going well, he is there to be criticised, and if they were going much better he would expect to take the credit," he said.

[voodooman]

Hmmm, There are people in this world that hate americans???

[el pres]

I watched the bbc coverage, dont think it was anti American, just pointed out what went wrong... and alot did go wrong, no?

[Trev]

BBC News 24 is hands down better than Sky News imho, the coverage of Katrina was spot on as well!

[el pres]

BBC News 24 is hands down better than Sky News imho, the coverage of Katrina was spot on as well!

I'm surprised to see you sober, thought you'd be out celebrating?

[Steady]

Interesting....Very Interesting...Very, Very Interesting...

Things that make you say Hmmmmm!!

[Trev]

I'm surprised to see you sober, thought you'd be out celebrating? :hijack1:
Hahahahaha, this is indeed a joyous day - Sunderland 2 - 0 Middlesbrough. Plus we're finally off the bottom lol. :D


:clapping: :thumbup: :happy45: :bdance: :cdance: :bjump: :bpurpdanc :bwave: :bojump: :gbounce: :redance: :beer: :stout: :alc: :hello: :hello2: :v: :KongBeat :1party:

[PornoDoggy]

Why, in the name of all that is holy, would anyone pay the slightest bit of attention to what Murdoch has to say on a topic like bias in news coverage?

[Sin]

The BBC is an excellent news source, (at least as far as mainstream media news sources go) ...reporting the facts in an unbiased manner is about the best the viewers can hope for these days... which I have to like.

We had 2 old ladies come into our store in the week after Katrina hit, they were immigrants from the UK so they watched the BBC on cable, instead of CNN type stuff, and they knew a LOT more about what was going on than most people, *grin* I had a good chat with them :)

I really gotta stop hijacking customers to talk about news & world events though lol

[MorganGrayson]

Tony Blair has pretty much risked/trashed his political career to be the staunchest ally of the US. I think hitting him with a comment like that is truly bad form.

[Sin]

Tony Blair has pretty much risked/trashed his political career to be the staunchest ally of the US. I think hitting him with a comment like that is truly bad form.

Its okay, everything Canada does goes completely unacknowledged by the US with the exception being the US Ambassador to Canada or whatever (whatever the US guy is that lives up here in Canada)

[JR]

one thing i have noticed in my travels and living abroad is that all media is critical of other countries. "all is fine and well in france" is not a good news story for anyone. it seems a little strange when you are on the outside looking in, but i dont think its abnormal. obviously the story of the day with Katrina is "what the fuck is happening here" - when you spend all your time talking about being the greatest, strongest, freeist country on earth and the world is suddenly bombarded with helpless people seemingly abondoned - its obvious what direction the story is going to take.

[Dravyk]

Its okay, everything Canada does goes completely unacknowledged by the US with the exception being the US Ambassador to Canada or whatever (whatever the US guy is that lives up here in Canada)Ok, what has Canada done recently that should be acknowledged?

Not being antagonistic, it's a nonjudgmental question.

[Unregistered]

Its okay, everything Canada does goes completely unacknowledged by the US with the exception being the US Ambassador to Canada or whatever (whatever the US guy is that lives up here in Canada)

what does canada do? when is canada in the news when its not some canadian government official calling bush an idiot? canada pretty much ties with greenland for its lack of being in the news and having almost no presence on the international political stage.

[JR]

^^^^^^^
stupid registration - my computer keeps logging me off if i close the page.

[Trev]

^^^^^^^
stupid registration - my computer keeps logging me off if i close the page.
Then don't close the page ;)

[Sin]

Ok, what has Canada done recently that should be acknowledged?

Not being antagonistic, it's a nonjudgmental question.

There's good reason why Canada has been not backing the US up on a lot of international activities, its because of how the country has been getting treated by the US ever since Bush got into office.

A brief summary of a few of the events, 9/11 we opened up our homes, airports, we had a "Canada loves NY" day where Canadians were called upon to go to New York to help give their tourism a boost, we donated so much blood to the red cross that it went bad, and we were very much in a position of supporting the US right up until Bush failed to acknowledge our efforts, and then named the UK as their closest friend & ally in their time of need.

Then there was the time the American pilots bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. This might've been before or after the 9/11 thing, I can't remember exactly since it was a while ago. That went unacknowledged by Bush too and when faced with the matter on live television, his response was weak, he sputtered something about how we're "so close" that he thinks of Canadian soldiers as the same as American soldiers & didn't feel it needed mentioning as a result... except everytime an American soldier dies, we hear about it.

Then there's the Urban S&R teams we had in New Orleans that down there, probably weren't even reported about & again went unacknowledged except for a few people http://www.halifaxlive.com/artman/publish/canadians_080905_660.shtml

That's the most recent one, and I'm sure if I really wanted to, I could look up even more info to cover the time span inbetween those events.

The world sometimes wonders why Canada's support for the US is increasingly less on international fronts, this is why.

[Newton]

Tony Blair has pretty much risked/trashed his political career to be the staunchest ally of the US. I think hitting him with a comment like that is truly bad form.

He is not putting himself up for re-election next time around

[Nickatilynx]

"""Then there was the time the American pilots bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. This might've been before or after the 9/11 thing, I can't remember exactly since it was a while ago. That went unacknowledged by Bush too and when faced with the matter on live television, his response was weak, he sputtered something about how we're "so close" that he thinks of Canadian soldiers as the same as American soldiers & didn't feel it needed mentioning as a result... except everytime an American soldier dies, we hear about it. """


Awww come on Sin , it wasn't the pilots fault. They were high as kites LOL

;-)))

[gigi]

Canadian Embassy in Washington DC....newsletter:

http://www.canadianally.com/ca/news/index-en.asp

[Dravyk]

Bush doesn't give credit where it's due, agreed. He also gives credit to people like former FEMA director Brown on a constant basis when it is not due. He doesn't give credit to various state and local people either. It's not a Canadian thing, it's a Bush thing in general.

And when it comes to Katrina, he's even more stepped up in terms of creating the illusion that we need no help from anyone else outside, and doesn't give them credit.

Remember this is the president who has managed to throw foreign relations with most of the world back about 75 years. He infringes on international agreements that were signed by his predecessors. He refuses to sign other international accords. He acts like the kid with all the marbles in the playground.

If this were a totally different time, and totally different circumstances, such behavior could be seen as positive, as a leader, as someone strong and uncompromising and to our benefit. But this is not 1908 and Teddy Roosevelt. And Bush is the farthest thing away from a "Rough Rider" I can conceive of.

At a time when issues are of global importance from linked economies to global warming to terrorism, when there should be greater cooperation between nations, Dubya is almost an isolationist (when he's not being a psuedo-imperalist.)

To put it succinctly, the world is a century or so ahead of Bush. While I can't imagine Bush doing a good job as president in any year, he may have been a slightly better one had he been in somewhere between Monroe and Zachary Taylor.

[gigi]

Ok, what has Canada done recently that should be acknowledged?

Not being antagonistic, it's a nonjudgmental question.

argh...drav..you know I love you....but *thwap*

Dude, this is exactly what Sin means....you are sincerely asking this question...you have no idea because what Canada does is never acknowledged by the media or anyone else...

Did you know that 4 years ago when California suffered their black outs, BC redirected a large amount of our hydro to Cali?? Know why I'll never forget this??? Because MY HYDRO BILLS WERE RAISED BY 30% TO COMPENSATE AND HAVE NEVER GONE BACK DOWN. This isn't just a Canadian government 'sacrifice' thing...all BCers and Albertans are now paying more for their power because California is using more than their allotted amount...this is not a complaint, but a little acknowledgement would be nice.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2001/01/15/daily31.html

We have soldiers in Afghanistan helping to hold down the fort while US troops are in Iraq.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1121795911890_117205111?s_name=&no_ads=

"Canadian special forces have maintained an almost-constant presence in Afghanistan since Ottawa first sent troops to the former terrorist haven in early 2002." - source: http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/National/2005/09/17/1221219-sun.html

We sent 4 ships to New Orleans full of emergency supplies and 1000 personnel, a 40 man military diving team and 2 air force helicopters
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=52744

And, did you know that Canada is the #1 supplier of oil to the US...ahead of the saudis?
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/can-am/washington/trade_and_investment/energyrel050328-en.asp

These things may not seem 'huge' in proportion to things the US or the UK have to offer...but, they are none the less things that Canada can and does offer to our allies.

And yes, I do think Canadians have a complex, are needy for a pat on our backs every once in a while in order to feel wanted. We're like that kid in the group that is allowed to hang with the cool kids because his big brother is cool...and when he does something good he attempts to step out of his big brother's shadow and scream from the top of his lungs..."Look what I did!"

[MorganGrayson]

And (a word from an old folk) leave us not forget who risked all to smuggle some of our people out of Iran during the takeover of the embassy.

[Dravyk]

And yes, I do think Canadians have a complex, are needy for a pat on our backs every once in a while in order to feel wanted. We're like that kid in the group that is allowed to hang with the cool kids because his big brother is cool...and when he does something good he attempts to step out of his big brother's shadow and scream from the top of his lungs..."Look what I did!"Ok, besides what I said about Bush, which is true ... I have a serious suggestion. It may sound flippant. It's really not.

If I looked at Canada not as a country, but as a business with a problem, I'd say, seriously, your problem is "marketing and promotion". You need a showman.

Look at America, we have people who tout everything. Trump for business. Paris Hilton for being a slut. Al Sharpton about racial inequality. Oprah for reading. Dr. Phil for interpersonal communication. Government and private people for America itself. Hell, you name it. (In fact, how can we even "hear" Canada over all these other people yelling?!)

Canada needs a booster, a cheerleader, (should I say it?) a Pikey! http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/smile.gif

[gigi]

Ok, besides what I said about Bush, which is true ... I have a serious suggestion. It may sound flippant. It's really not.

If I looked at Canada not as a country, but as a business with a problem, I'd say, seriously, your problem is "marketing and promotion". You need a showman.

Look at America, we have people who tout everything. Trump for business. Paris Hilton for being a slut. Al Sharpton about racial inequality. Oprah for reading. Dr. Phil for interpersonal communication. Government and private people for America itself. Hell, you name it. (In fact, how can we even "hear" Canada over all these other people yelling?!)

Canada needs a booster, a cheerleader, (should I say it?) a Pikey! http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/smile.gif

I couldn't agree more! [well, the pikey part scares me...hehe...although I'd settle for a loud mouth frog.] ;)

[Sin]

Very good points!

And THANK YOU gigi for that link up there! I agree with you all that we are a lot less covered by media and that part can be blamed on the media I suppose, however Bush is the president & (imo) has a responsibility to acknowledge the efforts of his country's friends & allies ...when he doesn't (like he hasn't) then they slowly start turning their backs ...see decision to not support Iraq, followed by decision to not sign that nuclear security or whatever it was... that's unfortunately the stuff that generally hits the media the most & people are left with the "Canada sucks" impression when its not the full story & very far from it.

I like the idea of having more media coverage, it would be nice to know what our government is up to & 2 big thumbs up to the efforts put in at the UN meetings lately by Paul Martin & Pierre Pettigrew... I've grown up with the impression that Canada usually sits pretty quiet at those assembly's and just smiles nods & agrees with most everything (maybe not that extreme, but we're not exactly noted for speaking up either) ....and the headline in the newspaper the other day was "Canada tears strip off UN" ...had to dig up the link to the actual speeches themselves & they were good reads, good for Canada, its about time!

Comparatively however, it is difficult to find media coverage of what our gov't does vs what your gov't does. I'm rambling & going in circles so I'll shut up.

But thank you again for that link! *bookmark*