to think that John Sweeny and his BBC superiors have put lives at risk with their North Korean jaunt and don't give a damn?

[NorthernLurker]

Not specifically the lives of the students and reporters - who after all are home safe in the UK now - but the lives of the North Korean guides assigned to the party by the regime. They didn't notice the filming, they didn't realise there were journalists. How do we think they've been treated since this came out? What's happened to their families?

Anybody who knows anything about North Korea knows they will at the very least have been imprisoned. And yet I've seen no scrap of concern for those people in any of the interviews.

I don't believe John Sweeney secured any new information about the regime. He's an attention seeking journalist not a spy. For the sake of a BBC ego trip how many are suffering? How many more will be put at risk because the BBC has sullied the immunity of academics? I am normal a big BBC fan, keen to defend their journalistic integrity but this whole escapade is just sickeningly arrogant.

It was interesting and sad to see a glimpse into the country but his report was crap how many times did he say no lights again yes worked that out thanks John

I was expecting something with more depth

I have a depressing thought that if in a few years North Korea opens up somewhat, Sweeney will be able to go back and find out what happened to the people he met this time. He can make one of those awful programmes where journalists naval gaze about their driver/interpreter/colleague/passer by who suffered whilst they came safely back to the UK. Doubtless he'll shed a tear or two for the cameras and talk about his sense of guilt.

so I pay a licence fee for some bloke to go to North Korea and ...............

well it didn't tell me anything know, endangered the lives of the guides, has not done anything positive for the LSE. Money well spent, not.

YANBU. That was my first reaction on hearing this news. Those guides and their families will likely be sent off to a work camp now and may never be released. It's disgustingly irresponsible for the sake of some pictures.

They were clearly shown the top class areas of the hospital. here are some photos of what its really like in a NK hospital Take note of the bottles used for IV drips

YANBU Op.

I really find the whole exercise pointless from our point of view (no new knowledge) and am also in fear for the guides and their families.

The self-serving arrogance of the BBc is getting worse IMO. And they never seem to learn. They are in a bubble of self importance.

YANBU - I watched it last night and was shocked at what a poor programme it was and how exposed the guides were. They will be held responsible for this breach and god alone knows what their punishment will be.

Pan did not tell us much we could not have guessed a secret filming failure

YANBU

It's awful, really really awful and puts the BBC and the reporter in a terrible light and shows his/their arrogance and lack of regard for others.

But, it's also beyond depressing that camps like those exist in this day and age, after (at the end of WW2, Bosnia, Rwanda etc.) everyone said "never again", it's happening fucking again.