Why Did the BBC Refuse to Air the Gaza Appeal?

[mjsd]

The BBC has defended a decision not to air a TV fund-raising appeal for Gaza, saying it wanted to avoid compromising public confidence in its impartiality.

It said a decision was taken with other broadcasters not to show the Disasters Emergency Committee crisis appeal on any network in the UK.

A corporation statement added there were also doubts about "the delivery of aid in a volatile situation".

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7846150.stm

Rising money for Gaza humanitarian effort can be seen as a political move? Is the appeal itself fundamentally flawed? Does the BBC simply not want to touch the dangerous third rail of middle eastern politics and become a propaganda machine for either side?

What defines neutrality in this arena, I wonder?

 

[mgb_phys]

Dead babies are a somewhat one sided message. It wasn't going to show it (neither was Sky) but other channels were going to.
The govenrment said it was totally upto the BBC (which if you're married you will recognise as the 'well you can wear that shirt if you you really want to' answer)

Now somebody has presumably had a quiet word with all the other broadcasters - so the Beeb is off the hook. 20 years ago it was happy to host quite a large appeal to buy the Ethiopian Army a bunch of trucks to defend against an Eritrean seperatist movement, but times change.

 

[Alfi]

If they are paying for the ad time. Let em run it.
If they are expecting it to be free. Then the broadcasters can choose.

 

[cristo]

If they are paying for the ad time. Let em run it.

The BBC doesn't have "ad time"; that is, there is no advertising on the BBC.This advert was all over the BBC news last night, anyway, which is arguably better publicity than a normal time slot!

 

[Alfi]

my error Cristo.
I forgot the differences in how broadcast systems work. I have looked into it and learned a bunch. TV tax eh. weird. :D
I'm Canadian. I thank you for some (imo much better than ours ) funny stuff and Dr.Who programming.