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Reply With QuoteWhy am I not surprized......
'Don't mention the navy' is the BBC's line
Last week we were subjected to one of the most extraordinary examples of one-sided news management of modern times, as most of our media, led by the BBC, studiously ignored what was by far the most effective and dramatic response to Asia's tsunami disaster. A mighty task force of more than 20 US Navy ships, led by a vast nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln, and equipped with nearly 90 helicopters, landing craft and hovercraft, were carrying out a round-the-clock relief operation, providing food, water and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of survivors.
The BBC went out of its way not to report this. Only when one BBC reporter, Ben Brown, hitched a lift from one of the Abraham Lincoln's Sea Hawk helicopters to report from the Sumatran coast was there the faintest hint of the part that the Americans, aided by the Australian navy, were playing.
Instead the BBC's coverage was dominated by the self-important vapourings of a stream of politicians, led by the UN's Kofi Annan; the EU's "three-minute silence"; the public's amazing response to fund-raising appeals; and a Unicef-inspired scare story about orphaned children being targeted by sex traffickers. The overall effect was to turn the whole drama into a heart-tugging soap opera.
The real story of the week should thus have been the startling contrast between the impotence of the international organisations, the UN and the EU, and the remarkable efficiency of the US and Australian military on the ground. Here and there, news organisations have tried to report this, such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine in Germany, and even the China News Agency, not to mention various weblogs, such as the wonderfully outspoken Diplomad, run undercover by members of the US State Department, and our own www.eureferendum.blogspot.com. But when even Communist China's news agency tells us more about what is really going on than the BBC, we see just how strange the world has become.
One real lesson of this disaster, as of others before, is that all the international aid in the world is worthless unless one has the hardware and organisational know-how to deliver it. That is what the US and Australia have been showing, as the UN and the EU are powerless to do. But because, to the BBC, it is a case of "UN and EU good, US and military bad", the story is suppressed. The BBC's performance has become a national scandal.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...09/nbook09.xml
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BBC Bias
"Don't Mention the Navy"
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
NEVER FORGET
Why am I not surprized......
because they've been doing it for years.Originally Posted by smilingassassin
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
NEVER FORGET
Note: BBC forgot that Indian Navy was there in Sri Lanka, Indinesia and Maldives before the others. That too when India herself was hit by the Tsunami having a huge loss and damange in infrastructure and loss of human lives.
That of course does not make good news.
Indian Navy clears Sri Lanka port:
Indian Navy clears Sri Lanka port:
[India News]: New Delhi, Jan 4 : The Indian Navy Tuesday cleared Sri Lanka's key Galle port after an extensive operation to remove sunken vessels there as part of the largest peacetime initiative mounted by the country's armed forces post tsunami.
Under Operation Seawave, the name for the relief missions mounted by the military, nine Indian warships have been sent to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia with supplies and medical teams.
This is the first time that Indian warships have been sent on a relief mission to Indonesia, Commander Vinay Garg, the navy spokesman, told IANS.
"After an extensive survey, debris clearance and the removal of many wrecks, Galle port was made operational and the navy ships Sarvekshak and Sutlej entered the harbour today (Tuesday)," Garg said.
Four Indian naval ships have been sent to Sri Lanka with provisions, water, medicines, tents, blankets and other relief materials. The crews of these ships have set up medical camps and kitchens in tsunami-hit areas of the island.
Sri Lanka was the worst hit in South Asia by the Dec 26 tsunami, losing more than 30,000 people. Tens of thousands are homeless.
Diving teams carried out extensive operations around the ports of Galle, in the island's south, and Trincomalee, in the east, to remove obstacles like sunken boats and a trawler, Garg said.
INS Jamuna, a 46-bed hospital ship, has been deployed at Trincomalee port, which has been cleared of all navigational hazards and declared safe for operations.
A relief camp run by 65 Indian Navy sailors and officers is also functioning at Trincomalee to provide medical and technical assistance, Garg said. Two naval ships - INS Kirich and INS Ghorpad - are providing support for this effort.
Two more ships - INS Nirupak, a 46-bed hospital ship, and INS Khukri are expected to reach Banda Aceh on the west coast of Sumatra late Tuesday. They are carrying 43 tonnes of medicines and relief materials.
The ships will be deployed off Meulaboh port, south of Banda Aceh.
Three Indian warships sent to the Maldives have been involved in relief operations there since Dec 28. The personnel from these ships have restored basic amenities like water supply and electricity.
They repaired 13 generators, landed 10 tonnes of relief materials and helicopters from the ships flew 70 sorties for surveys and to carry relief inland.
This is the biggest peacetime mission in the history of India's armed forces. The navy alone has deployed 32 ships, 21 helicopters, eight aircraft and over 5,500 personnel.
In addition, hundreds of personnel from naval bases at Arakkonam, Visakhapatanam, Tirunelveli, Chennai, Kochi and Ramnad have been associated with these operations.
Three survey vessels have been converted into 46-bed hospital ships and equipped with medical facilities like X-ray units and intensive care units and despatched to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Indo-Asian News Service
Last edited by Ray; 10 Jan 05, at 06:41.
So India's on the leftist target list to. Come take a seat over here with the US. I think we know who is going to come out the winner in the end.
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
NEVER FORGET
We can all expect a stiff upper lip response or the lack of it from the Brits about this one though.So India's on the leftist target list to. Come take a seat over here with the US. I think we know who is going to come out the winner in the end.
Cheers!...on the rocks!!
In a calamity, it is not the question of having a competition as to who gave what. That is material for those who do it for 'impression' and not with compassion in the heart.
I posted just to show how non Europeans take a bow for everything when there are others (not white in colour) who too do a lot good. And I am not being a racist, just a pragmatist.
Left or right, it matters not. What matters is a doing a good deed for the sake of doing good and not to show others how good one is!
despite my stiff upper lip, i will lower myself into this conversation!
actually the beeb has been fairly full of how india is giving massive assistance despite being a victim of this tsunami itself, ben browns US Navy/ RAAF-RAN report took up the first ten minutes of the 30 minute 6pm BBC1 news program (more domestic in charactor) and even more of the 10pm BBC1 news program (more international in charactor).
its certainly true that the US navy doesn't get blanket coverage, but its helicopters are in most of the footage from indonesia and the australian commitment gets full coverage.
most news organisations in the UK have chosen to go down the path of showing the human misery rather than the relief operations - perhaps they feel that people are liable to give more to charity if shown pictures of broken homes rather than an apparent endless supply of helicopters. perehaps they feel that if the public think that the great powers of the world are 'handling' the situation, then the public may feel that they no longer need to contribute.
its a judgement call, like all others.
I watch BBC World News.
It doesn't show anything about Indian assistance.
Stiff upper lip or not, notwithstanding.
Are you aware that just a few kms away from Phuket, a lot of indigenous population have died and the village was wiped out? Phuket and some other tourist joints were shown but no news about Thais and their village being wiped out totally. Now that is also human misery. Though to be fair, they also showed a British tourist speaking highly of Thai hospitality and of their opening up their homes to foreigners and things like that. The BBC world is all about Tourists spots. Maybe they were trying to whip up sentiments for giving amongst the western folks since it would hit them harder if the suffering of their own was shown.
My point is that the news of the most watched TV channel BBC World, is all about the humanitarian work done by western countries. Nothing wrong, but then it is supposed to be the most respected channel in the world with the maximum reproters positioned around the world. .
You needn't lower yourself. Try elevating BBC.
1stly bravo to the US, India, Australia et al for their swift response to this tragedy.
2ndly, believe it or not, this tragedy isn't about the United States. What do you want, an award?
A very wise man once said, when you give with your right hand, don't let the left know about it. Do we really want to be flowered with appreciation, for something thats our duty to humanity? As long as no one *****es about our efforts, I'm content. We need to focus criticism onto those who're reaping billions daily and so far have pledged only trivial amounts to the relief effort.
No, just report the news correctly, and stop stirring up anti-Americanism, that includes both admission and omission.
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
NEVER FORGET
I agree with that. Lise Doucett, was stationed in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, and coverage was mainly about the damages. They were trying to reach out to the world about the extent of the damage.
Maybe, because they (BBC) have such a fine record, that people expect them to be perfect every time.
Cheers!...on the rocks!!
Just over two weeks since the biggest natural disaster of our times and it's already become a political football. Ah well, maybe there'll be a sense of decorum over the next one.
Moral equivalence
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
NEVER FORGET
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