Cross-posted from BBC Watch
Like many other UK media organisations, the BBC devoted considerable coverage to the story of the conviction of British Islamist extremist Anjem Choudary which broke on August 16th.
BBC audiences heard reports on Radio 4’s ‘Six O’Clock News‘, ‘The World Tonight‘ and ‘PM‘. Listeners to the BBC World Service heard a report on ‘Newshour‘. Television audiences also saw reports on the story – for example here and here. Visitors to the BBC News website found reports on its UK page – for example here and here – and an article by the BBC’s home affairs correspondent titled “How Anjem Choudary’s mouth was finally shut” appeared in its magazine section.
As is the case in some of the other reports, in that article Dominic Casciani referred to Choudary’s relationship with members of the media.
“He would greet the journalists with a smile, and some guile, dressed up as charm.
One day outside Regent’s Park Mosque (he was banned from ranting inside its premises) he told the crowd he was honoured that I had turned up to hear him speak. He liked playing games. It gave him a sense that he was winning.” […]
“Choudary loved the limelight and revelled in media attention.” […]
“He [Choudary] tried in vain to get the Supreme Court to stop the prosecution. He asked some journalists if they would act as character witnesses (I wasn’t one of them).”
In the Newshour report, presenter James Coomarasamy remarked:
“And in Britain he’s been a fairly ubiquitous sort of figure. This is not someone – for listeners around the world – this is not someone who’s only reached…ehm…supporters via Youtube or via other social media. He’s been on mainstream news programmes quite regularly, hasn’t he?”
But in none of the above reports did BBC journalists acknowledge that their own corporation repeatedly provided Choudary with a platform.
Read the rest of this post at BBC Watch.
