BBC denies interference in al-Qaida coverage

Osama bin Laden, left, with his top lieutenant Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, in one of al-Qaida's own propaganda videos. Photograph: AP

Oliver Luft and agencies
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday August 27 2008 11:09 BST

The BBC has denied that its editorial independence was compromised after it emerged that a Radio 4 documentary about Islamic extremism bore similarities to a programme described in a leaked Whitehall document as one at which anti-al-Qaida propaganda was put forward.

Concerns were raised after it became apparent that extracts of the leaked document published yesterday in the Guardian had a likeness to a BBC Radio 4 Analysis programme by security correspondent Frank Gardner titled al-Qaida's Enemy Within, which was first broadcast on August 7, after the leaked propaganda dossier was compiled.

However, the BBC was quick to deny that the editorial content of the programme was influenced in any way by the Whitehall report or that it had been fed stories.

(Full Article)

Snop's Commentary:

Whether or not BBC is working with Whitehall to undermine Al Qaida is beside the point. The point being that countering Al Qaida by exploiting the connective power of Main Stream Media to its vast audiences is very difficult. It is difficult, because once a relationship between MSM and the Government is exposed it threatens to undermine the credibility of the MSM outlet as seen in this Guardian article.

Point to ponder...MSM outlets are happy to run Al Qaida's latest diatribe laced with propaganda and incitement, but they are loath to be seen supporting democratically elected governments in their effort to counter the ideological justifications of Al Qaida and others. Where does this leave us? How can we (the West) level the playing field?

One last thought... what about the fairness doctrine that we hear democrats talking about with regard to the influence of the conservative radio talk show hosts? Seems to me, MSM needs to reconsider its role in preserving Western Civilization by giving equal time to our own governments by producing factual TV documentaries. Doing so may help undermine militant Islam's goal of dominating the West and get MSM some higher ratings.