HANG HER?

The BBC seem exultant that Rebekah Brooks has been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. In fact this is the lead story on their UK news portal, the single biggest story for the UK population apparently. This is media village indulgence and I have to say that I feel sorry for Brooks and contempt for the self indulgence of the BBC.

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43 Responses to HANG HER?

  1. JAG says:

    To get a fair trial, aren’t there some protocols about the way that the media report the evidence (especially before the trial), or does that not apply if the newspaper which you used to edit supported the Tories in the last election?

       32 likes

    • #88 says:

      I agree with your point. This is quite troubling. I noticed that tonight ‘Newsnight’ repeated the allegations, made 37 times by the ‘Guardian’ that the ‘News of the World’ deleted Millie Dowler’s voicemails. Something proven not to be true (and confirmed by DCI John Macdonald at Leveson last week – although you may be forgiven for not knowing that).

      In fairness ‘Newsnight’ did say that Brooks was innocent until proven guilty, something that Channel 4 News did not, but should have, given their heavily edited version of the CPS briefing which omitted to mention the prosecutor’s remider that defendants were entitled to a fair trial and nothing should be said to prejudice this.

      Like ‘Newsnight’, Channel 4 shewed the Guardian’s Millie Dowler headline with the subhead alleging that the NoW had deleted her voicemails. Again this was not qualified as false.

      I was also troubled that Jon Snow asserted that this ‘brought the phone hacking affair closer to the door of Downing Street.’ What on earth was he implying and why?

      The Channel 4 News package was highly irresponsible, politically mischievous and in my view hugely prejudicial to Brooks and her co-defendants, linking, as it did, the charges to the ‘Guardian’s’ sickening allegations that turned out not to be true .

      Channel 4 News and Jon Snow should be censured and reminded of their obligations of impartiality

         26 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        ‘Something proven not to be true’
        So… typical Newsnight editorial style, then?
        It’s what got them slaughtered daily on their show blog, so they closed it.
        Not sure the twitter or Facebook feeds are working out much better for them.
        And on the latter, in addition to being filleted on their integrity, even the groupies are restless that they can’t seem to keep it topical. Last posting was Monday. Must be hard coping on a compelled £4Bpa, even when simply running a free social networking site.
        http://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsnight

           7 likes

      • The General says:

        The police are far too close to Labour. Remember the Damien Green case where detectives were allowed to enter the Houses of Parliament because Damien Green was supposedly in possession of leaked documents yet did nothing regarding the Labour MPs and piers who were shown on TV ‘selling,’ political influence, or McBride’s dirty dealing etc etc and what about Mandelson’s fraudulent mortgage documents ? Leveson and the police enquiries seem to be concerned with the association and support of News International with the Conservative Party rather than phone hacking in general. Cameron has had less dealings with Murdoc and his employees than Blair or Brown yet it is this association which is the focus of Leveson and the police.

           19 likes

  2. JAG says:

    This is going to be the show trial to end all show trials. It will be payback time for the legal and judicial establishment put in place by the previous government. The BBC will certainly be called on to play their part. One can only hope that the jury will be fair, but I fear the odds are stacked against Mrs Brooks.

    Can’t help wandering how this will come to trial, when the “suicide” of David Kelly didn’t merit an inquest? maybe the BBC could take this up?

       38 likes

    • Richard Pinder says:

      A jury vetted to make sure it is as impartial as the BBC Trust is with Atmospheric Physics.

         17 likes

      • Old Goat says:

        They will be recruited from the “Question Time” audience reserve…

           21 likes

        • johnyork says:

          Ah ! but will the judge be able to cope with all that cheering ?

             17 likes

  3. Paddytoplad says:

    Here here! I hate the way they are pushing this story. They are sordid small lifed bitter people.

       26 likes

  4. DJ says:

    In best Private Eye style I have to ask: is there any connection between the BBC which is covering this case 24/7 and the BBC which insisited that it would be quite improper to give anything but the most minimal coverage to the recent trial at Liverpool Crown Court, right up until the verdicts were in?

       58 likes

    • Dysgwr_Cymraeg says:

      Does anyone (else) think maye Hislops presence on the hign4y prog somewhat neuters his “eye” attitude to the inbbc?….
      Is there a special column (like say pedants corner) for extracts from this blog?.
      If there is it has appeared recently.
      Will one appear in the near future?
      Not holding my breath.

         15 likes

    • Mice Height says:

      Don’t you watch QT? Filthy little kuffar slags had it comin’!

         18 likes

  5. The Highland Rebel says:

    Should defending radical Islamic terrorism and blanket lying to the British public not be more worthy of an appointment with the beak than hacking a few phone calls.

    PS Who’s Rebekah Brooks?

       31 likes

  6. Ben says:

    From the top story on the news site:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18075775

    Even News International’s harshest critics can’t wish to see, today, people with no involvement with the central issues being treated like this and being involved like this.

    She forgot about the BBC, who are just revelling in this story, regardless of who is involved.

       16 likes

  7. Hugh says:

    I wouldn’t be surprised if as well as denying the substance of the allegations, the Brooks’ lawyers go to town on the prejudicial pre-trial coverage by the BBC. Tweets by BBC staff could be enough to bring the trial down.

       32 likes

  8. George R says:

    ‘Spiked’:-
    “The Counter-Leveson Inquiry’:
    “A respectable riot against tabloid readers.
    The interrogation of Rebekah Brooks over the NotW exposing paedophiles only exposed the prejudices behind the Leveson inquisition. ”

    http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/12452/

       15 likes

  9. George R says:

    ‘Spiked’s coverge:

    “The Counter-Leveson Inquiry: Standing up for Press Freedom.”

    http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/counterleveson

       10 likes

  10. Dave s says:

    Absurd. I had to make sure I avoided any BBC coverage.
    Who really cares? What many really care about is why no enquiry into the police and CPS refusal to investigate the child grooming until it became too big to ignore. Real lives and real people not the incestuous media world these morons inhabit.

       29 likes

  11. As I See It says:

    Said it before and will say it again, this is Gordon Brown’s revenge.

       39 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      Agreed. A well co-ordinated leftie campaign against the evil forces of the right (formerly Left, as Blair supporters – but that’s irrelevant), heroically led by the brave coalition forces of the Guardian, BBC and Labour Party. Now I wonder if Murdoch has anything from his hacking exploits which proves that the aforementioned unholy triumvirate are irrevocably conjoined in their daily plotting against the forces of conservatism…

         23 likes

    • Llew says:

      So far, with the BBC’s help, he is, unfortunately, doing a very good job at it.

         6 likes

  12. The Highland Rebel says:

    Can someone out there do me a favour and let me know when the peddling of this tripe is over and it’s safe to switch the news back on.

    Thanks.

       16 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      That’ll be when Labour have won the next election, I’m afraid, and we can all once again feel safe and secure listening to the soothing voices of Harman, Miliband, Balls et al assuring us there will be no more nasty cuts, no more boom and bust, a bright new dawn in Euroland and an even better, bigger, greener, multicultural Britain than we could ever have dreamed possible.

         30 likes

      • JAG says:

        Then we will wake up and realise we will have to pay for it – again!

           3 likes

    • Richard Pinder says:

      Just watched the news after the WikiLeaks show on Russia Today on channel 85. Apart from the obvious anti-American bias, you get a better informative news service closer to the news on the internet, and with less censorship of stories and the opinions of none-journalists than the BBC.

         7 likes

  13. Reed - hoping it all backfires on them says:

    Mrs. Brooks’ husband has claimed that 172 police officers were/are involved in the investigation, the equvalent of 8 murder squads.

    Yet when there were riots in London last summer, with people fleeing their burning homes and watching their businesses being destroyed, the police were nowhere to be seen for several days.

    A perverse and damning set of priorities, wouldn’t you say? This is yet another symptom of the politicisation of the police force, brought to us by the twins of evil, the two Blairs Tony and Sir Ian. Curse them both.

    …and if you thought you couldn’t hate (yes hate) that repulsive fugure any more…

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2144565/Tony-Blair-wanted-end-speeches-God-bless-Britain-worried-aides-stopped-him.html

       30 likes

  14. jonuk says:

    i’m sure this will be the top talking point at work tomorrow…not

       14 likes

  15. Alfie Pacino says:

    I see Alistair Campbell is tonight tweeting against Boris’ view that a Tory needs to be put in charge of the BBC. He calls the left wing bias a myth, but then again after his soft treatment at Leveson after his years in charge at number ten and with his pedigree he would, wouldn’t he?

       30 likes

  16. jonuk says:

    who’s this bint on BBC News 24 atm reading the newspaper front pages?? A socialist hypocrite

       8 likes

  17. chrisH says:

    Our Miss Brooks is at risk from the bile of the Pollygarchy.
    From Leveson down to the likes of Campbell, they`re just a lily-livered lynch mob, and any QC that Brooks employs ought to make mince meat of them all, once and for all.
    Never ever read her paper, nor do I know the first thing about her-but the notion of perverting the course of justice is pretty much what Blair, Campbell and Brown did for twelve years…and MPs like Moran and Labour Lords like Uddin and Paul do for fun each and every day.
    Let`s get Kelly re-opened or the WMD stuff…truly traitorous stuff that killed thousands, as opposed to not being rolled over by the BBC and the Guardian.
    The BBC have been in contempt of court now since last year…any chance of Scotland Yard doing the buggers for that?
    Nah,why would they?

       27 likes

    • Reed says:

      “Let`s get Kelly re-opened or the WMD stuff…truly traitorous stuff that killed thousands…”

      Amen to that, Chris. The Blair/Campbell axis was responsible for so much vandalism against our nation, it’s people and public life in general. The hacking scandal looks minor in comparison, and as you allude to, Mrs. Brooks never got anyone killed. It galls me everytime I see either Blair or Campbell (or any of their former minions) still wandering around the corridors of power looking as pure as the driven snow and as if they still matter to the nation. Still waiting in hope of a revelation that ostracises these two for good. The thirty year wait is a long one, and unfortunately Blair seems to have been pretty handy with a shredder. Until then, it’s apparent that we’ll have to endure Campbell’s oversized head on the BBC – and pay for his contributions too!

         16 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      Brooks, her husband and a couple of employees are being charged with perverting the course of justice by withholding evidence, including destroying paperwork. Now tell me again, what was it exactly Blair did with his files before the MP’s expenses scandal kicked off?

         13 likes

  18. Amounderness Lad says:

    I take it when they are talking about Perverting the Course of Justice they are refering to emails and documents being disposed of during the enquiry. Why does that make me think of the records of a certain ex-PM’s expenses claims being conveniently disposed of during an enquiry into the parliamentary expenses scandal being investigated?

    The BBC and their fellow travellers have form for trying to bury any and all of their competitors by using their virtual monopoly on broadcast news, especially when it comes to in depth news and current affairs on the radio where they are the de facto only source. Isn’t it time that cosy little monopoly was broken up and some genuine competition introduced. By listening to such programmes in the radio you would get the impression that attempting to destroy News International was the most important thing which has been happening in the world for the past several months.

    It is time the BBC’s biased monopoly on terrestrial news broadcasting was brought to an end. There should be no room in Britain for the broadcast equivalent of Pravda.

       28 likes

  19. Richard Pinder says:

    I believe that I saw an interview with Murdoch in the 60’s in which he said that his success was due to giving his readers what they wanted, he is a working class capitalist who goes with the political flow. The public relations morons of the political elite think he is a king maker even though he sells newspapers to people who do not buy his papers for the politics. It was easy to see if he was a kingmaker or not by seeing if the Labour party or the Tory party was ahead in the poles before or after he switched support. And what is wrong with hacking the phones of the greaseballs that make up the political elite, as long as it is only for reporting their wrong doing in the free press. If only the BBC did it, but then the BBC is not free, and if you think it is free then you are breaking the law.

       16 likes

    • Frank Words says:

      Murdoch has always been outside the establishment. He has a vein of anti-establishment running through his character.

      What is more establishment (particularly the new “progressive establishment”) than the BBC.

      The new Progressive Establishment haven’t spent 50 years taking over the upper reaches of government, the media, civil service, the police, education, etc, without knowing when to put the boot in.

         6 likes

  20. As I See It says:

    Recently I had a discussion about the ‘phone hacking scandal’ with an openly left-wing mate of mine. It was uncanny how in step with the BBC he was. First he exaggerated the seriousness of the hacking. ‘It was on a scale like East Germany!’ I pointed out that in fact it was a couple of tabloid journos in search of a story accessing the mobile phones of people who hadn’t set their pin numbers. When I suggested he was somewhat off beam linking this to the surveillance state run by the Stasi he quickly shifted his tack. The Police are corrupt! I pointed out that if we go down this road we will never again get a revelation such as the MPs’ expenses scandal. Murdoch, he explained, was the evil at the heart of this. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: this is Gordon Brown’s revenge.

       10 likes

  21. lojolondon says:

    On a day where the French President was sworn in, his jet was hit by lightening, he travelled to meet with Merkel to discuss the default of Greece and possible collapse of the Euro, arsonists were being hunted for the murder of 6 children, etc. the BBBC led the evening news with no less than SIX minutes of Brooks arrest.
    Outrageous, certainly very unprofessional.

       13 likes

    • Span Ows says:

      Yes Lojo, did it last night on the 6pm news…mainly so they could repeat it about 5 times after each section: the main points of the news again (only one main point: Leverson and Brooks)

         7 likes

  22. ltwf 1964 says:

    nobody….and I mean NOBODY I know is even remotely interested in this so called major news story

    it only registers in the beeboid echo chambers

    the general population couldn’t give a stuff

       11 likes

  23. Tony says:

    Strange there was no news coverage of the Michael Shakespeare case at all ,not even on this site .Strange given that it was the bbc behind the prosecution .

    http://www.tvlicenceresistance.info/forum/index.php?topic=5093.0

       0 likes