BBC wins to keep Balen Report Private

[vandamme]

BBC wins Supreme Court battle after spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of licence fee payers' money to keep report on its 'biased' journalism a secret
Balen Report officially covered up by the High court!
Great use of license fee!

[vandamme]

The BBC will keep secret a report into is coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Supreme Court has ruled after a legal battle in which the corporation spent hundreds of thousands of pounds of licence fee payers' cash.

The corporation has spent seven years trying to cover up an internal investigation into whether its reporting is biased.

In a blow to those calling for greater transparency from public bodies, the highest appeal court in the UK has upheld the BBC’s decision not to make publicly available the review, because the information is held for 'purposes of journalism, art, or literature'.
Report: The case centres around an investigation into claims of bias in BBC coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The BBC has won the right not to publish the report (file picture)

Report: The case centres around an investigation into claims of bias in BBC coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The BBC has won the right not to publish the report (file picture)

The legal row began in 2005 when the corporation refused a Freedom of Information request to make the so-called Balen Report into its coverage of the Middle East publicly available.

Lord Wilson said in court: ‘There is a powerful public interest that the public service broadcasters, no less than the commercial media, should be free to gather, edit and publish news and comment on current affairs without the inhibition of an obligation to make public disclosure of or about their work.’

The report was put together by veteran journalist and editor Malcolm Balen in 2004 in response to a string of complaints that the BBC’s coverage was biased against Israel.

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It was billed as restricted access and only seen by a handful of senior executives at the BBC.

But in 2005, Steven Sugar, a London solicitor, made a freedom of information request for disclosure of the report.

The BBC initially refused the application on the grounds the report was outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it was held for 'purposes of journalism, art or literature'.
Legal battle: The BBC has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in the case in a bid to suppress the report

Legal battle: The BBC has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in the case in a bid to suppress the report
Probe: BBC veteran Jeremy Bowen who is the Middle East Editor

Probe: BBC veteran Jeremy Bowen who is the Middle East Editor

He took it to an information tribunal, which ruled in his favour, but the BBC then appealed to the High Court, which overturned the decision.

Last year the Court of Appeal upheld that decision prompting Mr Sugar’s lawyers and wife to pursue the case to the Supreme Court.

Mr Sugar died from cancer in January 2011 but his widow, Fiona Paveley, was allowed to pursue the case on his behalf in the continuing legal action.

The Supreme Court did rule that the information in the Balen Report may be able to be released at a future date – when it is being held solely for archive purposes.

A spokesman for the BBC said: ‘The BBC has always maintained that the report was held for the purposes of journalism, art or literature and was therefore not disclosable under the Act.

‘We welcome the Supreme Court's judgment, which upholds the rulings of other courts in this case, and will ensure that the BBC is afforded the space to conduct its journalistic activities freely. Independent journalism requires honest and open internal debate free from external pressures. This ruling enables us to continue to do that.’
BALEN REPORT THAT EXAMINES CLAIMS THE BBC HAD A PRO-PALESTINIAN BIAS IN REPORTING
Revelation: Barbara Plett said she cried when Yasser Arafat was close to death in 2004

Revelation: Barbara Plett said she cried when Yasser Arafat was close to death in 2004

The BBC has faced claims that its reporting of the Arab-Israeli conflict has been skewed towards the Palestinian cause.

Critics cite the revelation from Middle East correspondent Barbara Plett (pictured) that she cried when Yasser Arafat was close to death in 2004.

And a confidential report put together by the Corporation lifts the lid on whether they really had a pro-Palestinian bias.

However, the 20,000-word document compiled by veteran journalist Malcolm Balen will now be kept secret after the Supreme Court ruling.

Lawyer Steven Sugar requested to see the 2004 document under freedom of information laws.

It examines hundreds of hours of BBC radio and television broadcasts.

However, the BBC turned down the request and - after seven years - the highest court in the land has finally ruled that it will remain secret.

The decision will disappoint the Jewish community which would have wanted to know whether the document had found any evidence of anti-Israeli bias in news programming.

The BBC said that, under the Freedom of Information Act, it is exempt from disclosing information held for the purposes of 'journalism, art or literature'.

However, Mr Sugar, who represented himself in court, said the Balen Report should be published as part of a debate about alleged anti-Israeli bias.

His widow Fiona Paveley took the case to the Supreme Court after he died from cancer in January last year.

[Teddy Bear]

We here, and many others, document and are well aware of the obvious and blatant anti-Israel bias of the BBC . All the BBC are really doing with all this effort to withhold the Balen report, is show how much they know the findings contained therein would not be to their benefit.

[vandamme]

I fear nothing will come of it though. No letters to the BBC demanding license fee to be accounted for, no politicians debating, even the Tories are fearful of them!

We are living in a soviet system, denial and no retribution regardless of the truth is the main course

[Teddy Bear]

It's heartening to read the comments posted on the article you linked to Van.

I see the BBC have this to say about the verdict
The BBC said in a statement: "We welcome the Supreme Court's judgment, which upholds the rulings of other courts in this case, and will ensure that the BBC is afforded the space to conduct its journalistic activities freely.

"Independent journalism requires honest and open internal debate free from external pressures. This ruling enables us to continue to do that."

"the BBC is afforded the space to conduct its journalistic activities freely", apparently means without anybody questioning the veracity of what they report.
"requires honest and open internal debate free from external pressures."
What on earth do they believe 'honest and open' means? They wouldn't know it if it hit them in the face - which one day it will.

[thehighlandrebel]

Some articles on Balen

www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23628970-the-secret-report-at-heart-of-bbcs-gaza-paranoia.do

www.theaugeanstables.com/2009/10/04/bbc-stonewalls-on-balen-report-revealing-the-importance-of-audience-confidence/

www.jpost.com/Magazine/Opinion/Article.aspx?id=211606

news2.onlinenigeria.com/world/140341-bbc-wins-battle-to-keep-report-on-its-biased-journalism-a-secret.html

[Teddy Bear]

Good as always to see you back THR - Happy Belated Birthday
Hope your trip went well.

[thehighlandrebel]

Thanks Teddy.