BBC are plain wrong in DEC Row

I have been away for a day and a half but as soon as I heard the news about the DEC advert not being shown by broadcasters in this country I straight away thought this was a bizarre decision. There is no reason why screening an advert asking for aid for Gaza need imply partiality of any kind.

I also suspected that the other broadcasters and the BBC would pretty quickly have to backtrack on this. Having heard Any Questions today on this subject, the panel and the entire audience (except one person) seemed to agree with me. With this sort of public feeling, I am certain that they will all screen it.

Indeed according the BBC News website, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have already changed their mind.

I suspectMark Thompson (no relation!) is currently trying to find a form of words to get him and the BBC out of this without it looking too embarrassing but he needs to get on with it.

I fail to understand how they could have come to such a perverse decision and once they do change their mind, I hope they are a lot more circumspect about this sort of thing in the future. Tony Benn on the news earlier stated baldly that this decision will cost lives. If they act quickly enough that need not be the case.

Further blog reaction on this here:

Iain Dale's Diary
Liberal Burblings