“I mean in our office there’s a picture of Bush as Hitler. I don’t know where they got it, but yes, Bush as Hitler. It’s quite a serious thing comparing Bush to Hitler! So did anyone in the newsroom in question object? No. Nobody did.”
The newsroom in question is one of the main newsrooms of the BBC. The crucial thing about the quotation above - from a BBC journalist - is that no BBC staffer objected to the poster being put on the wall of one of the major newsrooms of the world's most influential broadcaster. The anti-American bias of the BBC was recently acknowledged by the Corporation's own Washington correspondent, Justin Webb. Mr Webb told a BBC seminar that his employer treated America with scorn and derision and gave it 'no moral weight'.
The story about Bush-as-Hitler comes in a new book about BBC bias by Robin Aitken. Robin was a BBC journalist for 25 years. His inside account of the Corporation's failings is called Can We Trust The BBC? It has the potential to be as explosive in Britain as Bernard Goldberg's Bias has been in the United States.
Robin Aitken has just been interviewed by 18DoughtyStreet.com about his book. The hour-long interview can be watched here but the two minute clip below overviews the bias against red state America. If you want to put the clip on your own blog please get the embedding code from here.
All these efforts to rehabilitate Hitler are fascinating. It is becoming like wallpaper. I am hitlered to sheer boredom.
German TV has programme after programme about the Nazis until it seems like one long fictional series. It starts to become superficial and iconinc like Mickey Mouse.
Hitler is a commercialised baddie and the swastika is now a logo. Hitler is rather like Elvis, someone who existed once and has a lot of recordings and films and books written about them.
The word Nazi is bandied about so often it is banal, and so many people are accused of being like Hitler it has become meaningless.
I reckon in another 10 years the name Hitler will be back in vogue, and the nazis will be seen as just another political party ......the ideas are already back - euthanasia - supranationalism.
It is getting really hard to be scandalised by Hitler and the Nazis; the Left have used the imagery in such a cavalier fashion that it has lost substance to become just another superficial celebrity
Posted by: TomTom | March 09, 2007 at 07:28 PM
When Bush gasses 6 million Jews, bans foxhunting and outlaws the Democrat Party I might accept they have a point.
Posted by: Richard | March 10, 2007 at 01:24 AM
Is anyone really surprised? The BBC is simply another overseas outlet for the MSM tripe of the US liberal wackos. (Almost like our home boys at ABC, CBS, CNN....and Aljazerra, etal)
Consider the sources. Turn them off.
Frank Morris AWC, USN(Ret)
p.s. Hey Pete Bree! VP45?
Posted by: Frank Morris | March 10, 2007 at 01:40 AM
Do you have a transcript of this interview? My computer is worthless and I can't get any video to play anymore regardless of the format, but I'd love to read the interview. Do you know when Mr.Aitken's book will be coming out in the US? I'd be interested to read it.
Posted by: The Apologist | March 10, 2007 at 01:44 AM
Frank, the problem is that the British are forced to fund the BBC with their license fees. They could at least save some money for the same quality if they replaced the BBC with Al-Jazeera. I'm not sure people would even notice at this point, especially since Al-Jazeera English is so heavily staffed with BBC vets.
Posted by: JF | March 10, 2007 at 03:12 AM
if they replaced the BBC with Al-Jazeera.
On satellite you can now get Al-Jazeera in English, the France24 station and Russian News - none of which are too bad - no sneering from BBC types onscreen
Posted by: TomTom | March 10, 2007 at 12:35 PM
TomTom, I wasn't aware of that. So what's the justification for the license fee at this point?
Posted by: JF | March 10, 2007 at 03:05 PM
I don't know about the Bush-Hitler poster in the newsroom. It shouldn't be there. But the argument about religion is crap: Clinton views may be progressive but he always describes himself as a religious man (as does Jimmy Carter). I can't believe that BBC journalists are stupid enough to forget that. Aitken paints a very colored picture here.
Posted by: Martijn Borsboom | March 12, 2007 at 04:07 PM
It most certainly shouldn't be there!
I've noticed certain bias in other programs on the BBC recently - including "Question Time" on the people's views that are in the audience...
I pay my license fee - and hearing this sort of thing and seeing a drift on the channel in the past 10 years does not inspire confidence at all. Especially with the fact that they have public accountability.
Why did the management not ask for it to be taken down?
I mean - you're comparing Bush to Hitler is very serious.
Posted by: Mark C R | March 13, 2007 at 02:18 AM
I cannot believe that the people at the Beeb office missed the point entirely.
Bush as King George III: yes, indeed.
Cheney as Robespierre: yes, indeed.
Both impeachable: quite possibly.
Posted by: Vivi | March 13, 2007 at 05:57 PM
Vivi-- re:"Both impeachable: quite possibly."
On what grounds?
Posted by: mamapajamas | March 13, 2007 at 07:05 PM
No one wants to have better relationship with Bush everyone in both countries hates him
Posted by: z | March 13, 2007 at 08:31 PM
z... WHICH "both countries"???
Posted by: LC Mamapajamas | March 14, 2007 at 12:37 AM
So what's the justification for the license fee at this point?
Posted by: JF |
1949 Wireless Telegraphy Act as updated in the Broadcasting Act 1990......and a visit by the Bailiffs if non-compliance attracts the interest of the County Court........rather like the Road Fund Licence really....you pay it or face a lot of inconvenience
Posted by: ToMTom | March 14, 2007 at 08:24 AM
TomTom, I just wonder why there hasn't yet been a major initiative to dismantle the license fee, given BBC's increasing commercial activity and clear political stance. If the BBC were floated on the stock exchange, I'm sure it would be a viable commercial entity, and by having access to the capital markets, would do much to ensure its own survival.
Posted by: JF | March 14, 2007 at 01:22 PM
Hi Frank Morris and other Pelicans. give me a bell.
Posted by: pete bree | September 02, 2008 at 02:26 PM