BBC defends decision to censor the word "Palestine"

Sandro_Bit

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http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2012/02/word-palestine-free-bbc

The broadcaster claims that allowing the lyric "free Palestine" would have comprised impartiality.


In a ruling on 31 January, the BBC Trust defended its decision to censor the word "Palestine" from a freestyle by rapper Mic Righteous on 1xtra in February last year. In the performance (above), he rapped:

I still have the same beliefs

I can scream Free Palestine,

Die for my pride still pray for peace,

Still burn a fed for the brutality

They spread over the world.

BBC production staff covered up the word "Palestine" with the sound of broken glass. The censored version was also aired in April. Responding to the original complaints, the BBC said that "Mic Righteous was expressing a political viewpoint which, if it had been aired in isolation, would have compromised impartiality."

Yet its own guidelines make allowances for "individual expression" for "artists, writers and entertainers", as long as services "reflect a broad range of the available perspectives over time". The BBC argues that a late night music show was not the appropriate place to get into political debate as it was not obvious when these other views would be aired.

Amena Saleem, of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: '"In its correspondence with us, the BBC said the word Palestine isn't offensive, but 'implying that it is not free is the contentious issue', and this is why the edit was made."

But the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is a fact, not a statement of opinion. The UN Security Council classifies Israel as the "occupying force" in the West Bank and Gaza. Indeed, in upholding their decision, the BBC Trust has not addressed this key issue in the complaints. Consequently, nine complainants have said that their main point, that the BBC "demonstrated bias against Palestinians", had been ignored.

At the time, the PSC made the point that the BBC did not ban the song "Free Nelson Mandela" in 1984, even though Mandela was considered to be a terrorist by many western governments.

The BBC Trust has decided it is not "proportionate or cost-effective" to proceed further with the complaint, but the original decision does not seem proportionate either. Indeed, had the BBC allowed the song to go through uncensored, it probably would not have been remarked upon (after all, it was two words, not a long political diatribe). As it is, this incident sends a very uncomfortable message.
 
C'est tu de la musique sa ou une facon d'exprimé sa rage sur un beat de MMmmmmM`M mmmMm

so you're hating because the artist is expressing his political views on a hip hop beat?
it would have been ok if it was on a rock ballad?

i guess u never head of the dixie chicks...
 
Heu non pentoute lol.

Je trouve juste que c'est pas de la musique sa.


C'est un peu comme si je mettais un instrumental pendant que jme pogne avec ma blonde...
 
Heu non pentoute lol.

Je trouve juste que c'est pas de la musique sa.


C'est un peu comme si je mettais un instrumental pendant que jme pogne avec ma blonde...

i understand ur taste in music, but keep in mind that's not the point...

the dixie chicks are a country group from the states who pretty much ruined their career by singing about what they thought about Bush.. lol
 
why does he mention palestine? was there ever a palestinian state?

the land where israel is on has been called palestine since human existence. Palestine has declared independence in 1988 but it's not recognized by the west and the UN.
 
the land where israel is on has been called palestine since human existence. Palestine has declared independence in 1988 but it's not recognized by the west and the UN.

could you show me some evidence please? it's been called palestine(not since human existence) but has it ever been recognized?
 
could you show me some evidence please? it's been called palestine(not since human existence) but has it ever been recognized?

two third of the world's nation recognizes palestines as a independent country.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/20/palestinians-recognised-two-thirds-globe

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=416575

http://mostlywater.org/node/117570

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/15/palestinian-statehood-recognized-by-more-than-100-countries/
 

many of these nations are muslim, you would figure why they would recognize palestine as an independent country. however, why has this not been done before if they were living there since "human existence"?
 
the land where israel is on has been called palestine since human existence.
Yes, if human existence started in the 5th century BC when Herodotus first mentioned the word "Palaistine" which was a district of Syria inhabited by Hebrews.

Btw, I think the BBC made a mistake censoring that word. I mean, just because something isn't real that doesn't mean we should censor it. People sing about Santa Claus all the time and they're not being censored :D
 
C'est tu de la musique sa ou une facon d'exprimé sa rage sur un beat de MMmmmmM`M mmmMm

t'a déja ecouté Eminem ?! ... (pcq c'Est le seul nom qui me vien en tête ..)
le gars parle pas tjr a propos de grosse télé et de ''sluts'' ,
la moitié du temp y se défoule envers tout le monde ...????
 
many of these nations are muslim, you would figure why they would recognize palestine as an independent country. however, why has this not been done before if they were living there since "human existence"?

So democracy only works when its our word and serves our interests, is that right?
 
many of these nations are muslim, you would figure why they would recognize palestine as an independent country. however, why has this not been done before if they were living there since "human existence"?

2/3 of the world is not muslim nations. many nations in EU and America and Asia recognize palestine as a independent nation.

idk what ur trying to get at. the land where palestine/israel is was occupied by many super powers through out history. the ottoman empire let palestine go as early as the early 1900.

and when i said human existence, i meant human civilization.
 
Yes, if human existence started in the 5th century BC when Herodotus first mentioned the word "Palaistine" which was a district of Syria inhabited by Hebrews.

Btw, I think the BBC made a mistake censoring that word. I mean, just because something isn't real that doesn't mean we should censor it. People sing about Santa Claus all the time and they're not being censored :D


The term Peleset (transliterated from hieroglyphs as P-r-s-t) is found in numerous Egyptian documents referring to a neighboring people or land starting from c.1150 BCE during the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. The first mention is thought to be in texts of the temple at Medinet Habu which record a people called the Peleset among the Sea Peoples who invaded Egypt in Ramesses III's reign.[9] The Assyrians called the same region Palashtu or Pilistu, beginning with Adad-nirari III in the Nimrud Slab in c.800 BCE through to emperor Sargon II in his Annals approximately a century later.[10][11][1] Neither the Egyptian or Assyrian sources provided clear regional boundaries for the term.
 
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