If you’re watching television around 9pm tonight, you might catch the Disaster Emergency Committee’s appeal on behalf of war victims in Gaza. Well, you might unless you tune in to the BBC or Sky News, both of whom have declined to show the five-minute segment for fear of jeopardising their impartiality as news broadcasters.
Doubtless you’ve already heard about this: the story hasn’t been out of the news all weekend, and in a way it’s helped the message to reach thousands of people who probably wouldn’t have otherwise been watching. Viewers, campaigners, archbishops and sixty MPs who have agreed to back a parliamentary motion condemning the appeal have already made their position clear. And you might even have changed your Facebook status. I know I did, which led to a bit of an exchange with one of my pals who (quite rightly, I thought) asked if I’d actually donated any money.
There is no denying that the internet has become a vital force for awareness-raising and building momentum in the campaign for political change. The most spectacular example of this has of course been the US presidential nominations and elections, and the tide of support for Twitter’s number one most followed at grassroots level. Joining an online group, or updating your Facebook status, is an easy way for a once-disenfranchised youth to get behind the causes that they care about with a single click and to feel as if their voices are being heard.
The challenge for charitable organisations and campaigning groups, of course, is how to translate these baby steps into action: activism, campaigning, donations. Personally, now the political pressure is mounting over the BBC’s stance on this matter I hope they don’t back down, but that they continue to report the news from the region in as frank and as unbiased a manner as they can – including that top story that is of their own making. But if you can spare anything to help those in need in the region, get over to the DEC page and donate now.
hello my lovely, i just wanted to drop you a line to say i’ve found you again. I dunno if you even have the slightest idea who i am, but i used to have you as a friend on LJ and Myspace, until i dumped myspace and you dumped LJ…
I hope you don’t mind me looking you up again, i enjoy your scribblings, sometimes i think you’re a bit like the more loud, opinionated me – the person i really think i should be
Thats a weird compliment, in a strange sort of way.
Laura
Laura, how ace to hear from you again! Have added you to my bookmarks and looking forward to getting up to date with your life again xx
I’m SO angry with the bbc, sky well meh, I expect nothing better but the bbc, I love the bbc, up until about ross/brand I was LOUD in my appreciation of the bbc and its quirky ways and even its mistakes I felt came from a reasonably good place but this has left me winded. I caught newsnight last night and was utterly blown away when I heard the guests argue that in order to show this appeal the bbc would need to explain the context. CONTEXT!? Does context make people bleed any less, does context make the hurt and cold and fear go away… AAAARRRGHHH
Yeah, I’m annoyed.
I generally take the BBC’s side on most things, and again I do on this. At the end of the day if they feel that this contraviens their editorial standards they are within their rights to not broadcast it, whilst I also think they’ve been quite savvy in knowing that this would increase awareness of the appeal by forcing it to become part of the news cycle. They have managed to draw more attention on to the issue whilst maintaining their editorial standpoint, so I don’t really see where the bad is.
I think my problem on this issue is that people are taking about the BBC as if it’s a living, breathing entity. The human thing to do, perhaps the compassionate thing to do would be to broadcast the appeal. But then, the BBC isn’t human. The problem with this appeal (and I haven’t watched it) is that a large amount of people see it as helping one side in a two-sided battle. I think the situation in Gaza is appalling, I really do. Which is why the BBC has been reporting this crisis since the hour it began, in considerable depth and from a variety of perspectives.
They’ve drawn attention to the situation, they’ve reported it fairly. It’s up to outraged of wherever to find out how they can help out people who are suffering. The BBC isn’t denying or covering up the existence of the appeal, it simply seems that the content of it contravenes their own policies and standards vis a vis impartiality. Which is perfectly fair I reckon.