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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel that the news is too one sided?

25 replies

user1471516536 · 19/12/2016 23:08

This week there has been a man who threatened many Muslim people and said that he was out to "kill Muslims", deliberately targeted women in headscarves and eventually stabbed a man in forest hill. Then tonight three people were killed in an attack on a Swiss mosque. I think it's strange that I saw neither of these mentioned on the TV news, nor prominently featured on the BBC website. These are not the only similar events that have been very underreported this year

I absolutely understand that the attacks in Berlin tonight we're of a much larger scale and deserved more coverage. Of course the majority of the news tonight was rightly on this sad and shocking event.
However, I feel that by underreporting attacks on Muslims, the news, particularly the BBC, is encouraging a view that these attacks are due to a clash between religious and cultutral values, when really it is a clash between hateful people and everyone else. Most Muslims, Christians, athirsts etc are just people who are being hurt by the acts of a few sick, damaged people who have let hate consume them.

OP posts:
Leanback · 19/12/2016 23:11

Water is wet

ExitPursuedBySantaSpartacus · 19/12/2016 23:12

Then write to the BBC.

Itisnoteasybeingdifferent · 19/12/2016 23:13

A valid observation about news reporting.

FranticalFidget · 19/12/2016 23:13

The paranoid side of me says that those in power benefit greatly from pitting different 'sides' against each other.

Deflects a lot of blame.

That may be the paranoia speaking though!

EngTech · 19/12/2016 23:14

Good news stories don't grab headlines or sell papers

SpeakNoWords · 19/12/2016 23:15

Look for news from a wider variety of news sources, complain to the BBC about their coverage.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 19/12/2016 23:22

Has the charter been renewed yet?
Although the BBC seem to be dumbing down to populist nonsense.

sirfredfredgeorge · 19/12/2016 23:23

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38363602
3 people were not killed in an attack on a mosquie, 3 people were injured in an attack near and it was on the front page of the bbc website, but as a pretty minor news item even that is surprising. People are shot but not killed all the time.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38290932
The forest hill one got lots of coverage last week, but as a case of an isolated person with many personal issues, it is again not really big news, hopefully he's being prevented from doing anything similar, and getting the help he obviously needs.

So basically I think your equating of two relatively minor incidents when compared to multiple deaths, that were in any case covered, is pretty unreasonable.

News media is biased, everyone is, unconcious bias is difficult to beat, but the BBC probably does a better job than most on trying to beat it.

Lorelei76 · 19/12/2016 23:26

I haven't watched bbc news for years, they miss out a lot of important stuff.

I prefer news online. Their website is def better than their programme.

JungleWait · 19/12/2016 23:28

YADNBU. It's extremely sad that the media is doing this, and neither it is fair. It's unethical.

CockacidalManiac · 19/12/2016 23:30

Unfortunately tv news often follow a tabloid agenda, there's no real desire to analyse.

MrsDustyBusty · 19/12/2016 23:30

Well it's similar to strikes, isn't it? They mention there's a strike on, that it's inconvenient to the public, interview some people on the street who voice no support and carefully leave out any history or context for the strike, leaving the viewer with the impression that it's simply a load of selfish gits gratuitously making life difficult.

Stoviesplease · 19/12/2016 23:35

It isn't clear who injured the three people in Zurich. There are tensions between Muslim groups in the area so perhaps they are waiting for clarification.
Tbh with the death toll set to rise in Berlin and the ambassador assassination in Turkey I think you are a little unreasonable today. But I understand if it feels unfair and I agree it's all awful.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 19/12/2016 23:58

The BBC1 news is the guilty party. Don't start me on the utter twaddle that's News 24 (or whatever it's called now). R4 and the website are better.

Middleoftheroad · 20/12/2016 00:17

It's frustrating that they decide what we should read and how it should be interpreted. Also, what we should be 'protected' from to avoid a mass outcry.

The DM is laughable, but they had the balls to report the attacks on women in Germany when other outlets played it down. On one hand that's censorship, to not report this story to adults, on the other, extreme DM side a sensationalist and bigotted report.

Agree that you should pool from various sources. That the media should not decide what we are privy to read.

But it has always been the case. I don't know a neutral news source. Journalists and media have political persuasions and this reflects in the copy. I'm sure Guardian fans will beg to differ...but I find it as biased as the DM and like neither publication. The BBC is just insipid!

Stoviesplease · 20/12/2016 00:20

Insipid, Yes. it has got to the point I often can't understand the BBC version of a story.

Sybys · 20/12/2016 00:25

EngTech - are you trying to say that attacks on Muslims are good news, or did you just not read the OP?

ginghambox · 20/12/2016 00:32

Considering most hate attacks are carried out by muslims. And the BBC is pro muslim . Stop watching the BBC.

CockacidalManiac · 20/12/2016 00:37

Considering most hate attacks are carried out by muslims. And the BBC is pro muslim . Stop watching the BBC.

Tinfoil hat time

MrsA2015 · 20/12/2016 00:44

Of course it's all one sided.

You won't hear about the buses of civilians that were "allowed" to leave Aleppo on Saturday that got blown to pieces as soon as they left the compound. Nor will you see the videos of families begging eachother to shoot themselves before they get captured by assad or Russian forces

DoJo · 20/12/2016 01:32

I think why tech was talking about 'good news' as in quality reporting rather than content that would be considered 'good news'. At least that's how I read that comment...

DoJo · 20/12/2016 01:33

engtech

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 20/12/2016 01:37

I think anyone who thinks that BBC is balanced and unbiased is sadly mistaken.

Stoviesplease · 20/12/2016 09:34

BBC like other western media CA t get anywhere near Aleppo so Tbh have no chance of reporting anything factual which ever side you may be on MrsA. Their correspondents I have seen were in Beirut and Istanbul!

EngTech · 20/12/2016 15:17

Sybys,

Far from it. All I was saying is that bad news sells papers or gets people watching news stories.

DoJo explained it better than I did.

You get to a stage where the news stories are showing so much suffering that you become immune from it or it does not shock you as it does not have any immediate effect on you in your warm and comfy living room.

Only when it has a direct immediate effect on you that you take real notice.

If what is happening in Aleppo was happening here, people would be demanding that something is done.

If I could wave a magic wand and stop things like Aleppo happening, I would but I can't but I appreciate the life I have here even more.

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