“NOW THERE’S SOMETHING YOU DON’T SEE EVERY DAY, CHAUNCEY.”

Sunday, January 25th, 2009 | Uncategorized

“What’s that, Edgar?”

“The BBC taking a principled stand and getting called out by the Archbishop of Canterbury action figure because of it.”

Members of a British anti-war group briefly occupied the Glasgow offices of the BBC on Sunday to protest the national broadcaster’s decision not to air a charity fundraising appeal for Palestinians in Gaza.

The two-hour occupation followed criticism from lawmakers and religious leaders who said the BBC’s decision not to air an advertisement from the Disasters Emergency Committee — a group of charities that includes the Red Cross, Oxfam, and Save the Children — was wrong. The broadcaster which rejected the advertisement saying it might harm its reputation for impartiality, and because it couldn’t be sure the money raised would reach those in need.

“My feeling is that the BBC should broadcast an appeal,” the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams said.

Mark Thompson, the BBC director-general, remained adamant against the showing the advertisement. His comments came in a blog posting on the BBC Web site.

“Gaza remains a major ongoing news story, in which humanitarian issues — the suffering and distress of civilians and combatants on both sides of the conflict, the debate about who is responsible for causing it and what should be done about it — are both at the heart of the story and contentious.”

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