As I've been researching Lithuania for another thread, I thought I might compare the relentless coverage of Israel and the Palestinians with the BBC's coverage of our EU friends in Lithuania.
Would you believe it, there are only 5 articles about Lithuania from the whole of 2009 (never mind just July) on the BBC website! Compared to the coverage of tiny Israel and those pesky Palestinians, isn't that extraordinary?
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The subject-matter of those five articles is very revealing about the news priorities of the BBC.
14 July 2009 Lithuania backs child censor bill
Correspondents say homosexuality is frowned upon by many in Lithuania, where the majority of the 3.3 million population is Catholic.
This, of course, is a gay-rights story &, therefore, of great interest to the BBC. Note the prominence of the word 'censor'. 'Censor' is a strongly-loaded word.
6 July 2009 How Lithuania grasped freedom
Home-grown leader Lithuania has come a long way since then. The EU here is more visible than in many other countries of Europe - it's a statement, an affirmation of where Lithuania belongs.
The BBC is relentlessly pro-EU. This article shows how great the EU has been for Lithuania.
19 May 2009 Lithuania set for energy rethink
The size of her victory also gave her authority and "moral power" in Lithuania, she said. Like its Baltic neighbours, Lithuania has been hit hard by the global economic downturn.
The BBC has never been keen on nucleur power. This article pounces on 'good news' on that front.
18 May 2009 Lithuania's new leader: Your views
There is lots of excitement nowadays in Lithuania. That is my opinion as a citizen of Lithuania.
A selection of comments.
18 May 2009 Lithuania gets first woman leader
After enjoying years of impressive growth since in joined the European Union in 2004, Lithuania is experiencing double digit economic contraction and rising unemployment.
Feminists rejoice!
The BBC views everything through the prism of its own left-wing prejudices. Were it not a taxpayer-funded news outlet, this would be fine. Being a taxpayer-funded news outlet, it is anti-democratic and a disgrace.
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In its articles about Lithuania's first woman leader, the excellent-sounding Dalia Grybauskaite, the BBC calls her an 'independent' but neglects to mention that she was supported by the dominant Conservative Party, a party from the right of centre. Worse, she even cites Mrs Thatcher as an inspiration, according to Wikipedia. These are inconvenient truths, not in tune with the BBC's narrative. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8054053.stm.
Adam Easton, the BBC's correspondent, says "Ms Grybauskaite has been critical of the way the economy has been handled by goverments of the past." Easton is here being economical with the truth. Dalia's aim was much more specific than that. According again to Wikipedia, this fine lady "frequently criticized the Lithuanian government, headed by Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas, for its lack of response to the approaching financial crisis."
Surprise, surprise Kirkilas is an ex-communist & a member of the group in the European parliament that contains the British Labour Party. Why the silence, Beeboids? Is it because someone from the Left would be cast in a bad light, and this might reflect badly on the Labour government?
The article is also silent about why Dalia Grybauskaite has the reputation of being "the EU's tough-talking budget commissioner". She was 'tough-talking' because she denounced the protectionist Common Agricultural Policy and emphasized competitiveness.
Can anyone dispute that the BBC is being biased here, not to mention dishonest?
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