Her article is in pdf format and is downloadable from this page at the SPUC website. It looks particularly at:
- Allegations made, particularly the use of unreferenced figures and case studies
- The use of slanted language and interview tactics
- The omission of information
- The use of negative stereotypes
The BBC's response to an initial complaint was:
The BBC programme complaints unit concluded its response to SPUC by finding that “the programme supported its claims with properly researched and journalistically sound examples” and could “find no grounds for upholding your complaint against this programme.”There is a good example to illustrate Robin Aitken's claim that the BBC knows it can slough off complaints because it is difficult to give evidence of bias and they know that normally no hard evidence will be forthcoming.
But what happens when there is hard evidence in the form of a 30 page dossier investigating a programme? What was the BBC's response to Fiorella's evidence?
Errr. No response.
9 comments:
Fr, a typo: The Programme Fiorella criticised was Sex and the Holy City, (not Sex in the City). Other than that you are right in every particular!
I have just found out that the BBC is planning an interview with Cardinal Murphy O`Connor on Sunday 28the March. They have advertised for questions to put to the Cardinal. I do not believe the Cardinal has the charisma to take part in sucha programme and I fear he is a lamb being led to the slaughter
Fr Tim - do you mean Sex in the Holy City - the vaticans position on condoms documentary ? Also.. the same year the BBC
put out a "Kenyon Confronts" documentary claiming to show that little has changed in child protection issues in the church since the abuse scandals. The BBC hired a firm of market reseachers and mailed every priest in the arch
diocese of Birmingham with a list of questions seeking their personal views on whether much has changed. They by-passed the Archbishop whose job it had been to help oversee the setting up of COPCA. Had they approached him for an interview he would have helped - but they did not want his help. They wanted to run a deliberately damaging and vindictive story of their own making. The journalism was totaly flawed as a result. But it still left viewers with the wrong impression. These people have an agenda and see it as their duty to rat like cunning. Truth ? what is that ? As someone powerful once said.
Hi Fr, I have been reading your blog since you started and have enjoyed it immensely. However, I think that over the past while it has become concerned with things which demonstrate a huge sense of pretenciousness which I think is detrimental to the great apostalate this blog has the potential to be. With this in mind, I have decided not to visit this site again as I think it sometomes portrays Orhtodox Catholicism in a bad light. This message is not intended to be a jibe or meant in any ill feeling. I do however feel it is my responsibilty to make you aware that some people may be put off to the degree that they will not return to such an interesting page because of the inclusion of such trivial articles like what kind of coat the Holy Father is wearing, which re-emphasise the stereotype that Orthodoc Catholics are only concerned with vestments, incense and other externals and rubrics.
Well done Mrs Nash!
Has anyone yet had a response to complaints made about that dreadful programme that purported to reveal Vatican policies to keep child abuse hidden? You know, the one that totally misread a mid-'60s document concerning grave abuses of confession? When sending my complaint I definitely ticked the box to receive a response, but have heard nothing...
Ben & Bernadette - thanks for pointing out the typo. Corrected now.
John Kearney - I fear you may be right. We need to say a prayer for the Cardinal (btw - I presume it is Sun 28 April?)
Dear other John - Oh dear!
I try to include serious, informative, helpful, trivial and humorous things. Many people like a little light relief in the form of silly posts on sartoria ecclesiastica.
The variety of subjects posted surely indicates not that orthodox Catholics are only concerned with vestments etc., but that they find those things of interest along with lots of other things.
Frankly I am surprised that "some people" may be so troubled by a post about the Holy Father's coat. (I even labelled it "humour" because people sometimes take these things too seriously.)
Well i liked the post about the Pope's dress. i like the humour on this site too. Fr Tim's red-box post was the funniest thing i saw in ages. Fulton Sheen was similarly hilarious. A good sense of humour goes with holiness, & it stops us taking ourselves so seriously..
So i'll be blogging on this site for some time to come..God willing..
The way things are looking in the Othodox church today, John.. we need all the light relief we can get. Laughter is in fact very healing and I would guess that many Catholics are feeling bruised and battered at the moment. We need a laugh.
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