More Meeja News: The Beeb and Mail in Rows

Recently the major newspaper have been all huff-and-puff in attacking the BBC and the gaffs over the Queen and phone-in competitions. Make we wonder if the people up in the BBC's Whiteladies's Road office are feeling under siege? While I have my own bone's to pick with the BBC's very pro-establishment view of things, in this case I feel sorry for them given the fact that most of the papers arguing against them have a vested business interest in the removal or privatization of the BBC. For example if you go to The Sun website, it's full of articles attacking the BBC, but search it for 'Murdoch' and you find nothing, when I think that fact that he and Bliar had six phone conversations on eve of war says more about the power of media that the declining institution of the Queen being revealed to be human:

"Tony Blair spoke to Rupert Murdoch three times in nine days in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, it emerged yesterday, after the government caved in to a four-year campaign for the release of details of their conversations and meetings.....In all Mr Blair held six formal conversations with the media baron between March 2003 and October 2004. The first three took place on March 11, 13 and 19; military action against Iraq began early on March 20. A broadcasting row involving the BBC and BSkyB was also taking place."

On the subject, the owners of Venue, the Evening Post, Metro, GWR etc, the Daily Mail and Trust have also been attacked for 'Incredible hypocrisy' over gambling;

"Just days after [The Daily Mail] trumpeted its role in killing off the introduction to Britain of Vegas-style supercasinos as a 'Very Moral Victory', The Observer has discovered that the paper's MailBingo.com website, where punters can seemingly sign up with minimum security checks to play internet poker, roulette and slot-machine games, failed to adhere to guidelines set out by GamCare and Responsibility in Gambling Trust, organisations which offer help and advice to addicts."

Nice.