Telegraph Blogs – David Blair, Diplomatic Correspondent – The BBC’s Gaddafi love-in

Earlier today [this is from 18 May], the BBC emailed me a transcript of a forthcoming interview with Col Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. When I had finished reading it, I picked up the phone and rang the BBC press office to check that it wasn’t a hoax. A slightly embarrassed BBC press man conceded that it wasn’t a joke and one of their men, David Eades, had really truly conducted the interview.

If you want to see a BBC journalist fawning before an ageing dictator, then watch this astonishingly sycophantic episode of “Have Your Say” on BBC World at 1400 GMT on Sunday.

In his opening question, Eades describes the programme as an “opportunity, then, to hear and to speak to one of the political figures with the greatest experience in the world today, and indeed the longest-standing leader of the Arab world. I’m talking, of course, about Brother Leader Muammar Gaddafi. And I’m delighted to say that, via satellite from Tripoli, Mr Gaddafi is with us now. A very warm welcome to you – and as we can note, in extremely good health, despite earlier reports. Thank you also for agreeing to take questions, not just from the chamber here in Oxford, but also from BBC viewers and listeners around the world.”

It goes on from there.

I could jump on the it’s-the-Beeb-isn’t-it bandwagon but a) any private American network would behave about the same way except that comparison is overly flattering to them because b) at least the Beeb knows who Gaddafi is.

I understand, of course, that the BBC faces a real dilemma. Gaddafi would simply refuse to appear on “Have Your Say” if he was going to face any real questions. So the BBC promises to shower him with praise and bowl one patsy question after another in order to get him on the show. In other words, it debases its journalism in order to give airtime to an eccentric despot. Not a very good bargain, in my view.

It doesn’t seem to have worked for either party since this happened a month ago and it’s the first I’ve heard of it.

Date: Jun 7th, 2007 · Comments RSS · Tags: Business & Media