Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Fair and Balanced.
On both the BBC News and ITN last night, news presenters informed us (putting on their most sombre, measured and sensible faces) that of course we can't condone British soldiers kicking and bludgeoning the shit out of unarmed stone throwing youths in southern Iraq but we have to remember that our boys are under enormous stress out there. In fact both news programmes put an amazing amount of effort into showing just how much stress British soldiers are under. In fact just as much, if not more, time was put into explaining how it was really only to be expected that British soldiers should be beating unarmed teenagers unconscious (because of the enormous stress they are under), than was given over to discussion of the actual beatings.
Of course, neither the BBC or ITN reporters condone the beating of unarmed youths by British soldiers. They were at pains to stress that, everytime they explained what enormous stress British soldiers are under.
I'm sure, if pictures were obtained of British soldiers being beaten unconscious by an Iraqi mob armed with batons, BBC and ITN presenters would explain to us (in their most sombre, measured and sensible way) that, though they would never condone this sort of behaviour, we have to remember what enormous stress Iraqi civilians are under.
Of course, neither the BBC or ITN reporters condone the beating of unarmed youths by British soldiers. They were at pains to stress that, everytime they explained what enormous stress British soldiers are under.
I'm sure, if pictures were obtained of British soldiers being beaten unconscious by an Iraqi mob armed with batons, BBC and ITN presenters would explain to us (in their most sombre, measured and sensible way) that, though they would never condone this sort of behaviour, we have to remember what enormous stress Iraqi civilians are under.
