Advice on accessing BBC News • Hacker News Board

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#31

Post by roland_nilsson » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 9:34 AM UTC

fulvioterzapi wrote: post #4

Interestingly, they also work for accessing RT and Sputnik from the EU that are banning them.

From my location in Sweden, sputniknews.com is currently available but www.rt.com is not (error 403). Probably sputnik will go away as well, as the EU ban on these outlets is "expected to cover all means of distribution or transmission, including internet video sharing platforms and applications" https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/28/eu-rt-ban-extends-online/

This seems like a boneheaded move. What credibility will the EU have in criticizing media censorship in Russia when they engage in censorship themselves?

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#32

Post by sofixa » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 9:36 AM UTC

mytailorisrich wrote: post #28

bhobs wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They go out of their way to try and represent both sides of a coin, to a fault. If it’s clearly raining, and they have a guest on to talk about the rain, they will also have a guest on who will try and argue “oh these precipitation levels don’t constitute rain” etc. A bit contrived but you get the idea.

That's not the case at all. They may do that for some topics but not for all. At the moment coverage of Ukraine really is "war reporting" in the classic sense, i.e, there is control and a line to follow to make sure one side is pure white and the other side pure black.

In what other way could they possibly represent the war?

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#33

Post by dataflow » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 9:45 AM UTC

LAC-Tech wrote: post #15

I'm always a bit perplexed when people hold up the BBC as an example of a respectable, unbiased news source - a lot of their stuff is ham-fisted, and some of it is flat-out propaganda. I wouldn't say they are noticeably worse than other media staples - everything is biased - but they don't deserve to be on the pedestal they are put on.

> I wouldn't say they are noticeably worse than other media staples

My brain simplifies the double-negative to "I would say they are among the best media staples", which significantly changes the tone of your comment while (as far as I can tell) retaining the meaning. If you disagree with that simplification, though, I would suggest citing noticeably better sources of news that people can turn to.

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#34

Post by usr1106 » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 9:49 AM UTC

LAC-Tech wrote: post #20

usr1106 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Broadcasting them in EU is banned. But accessing them on the internet is not. Or in which EU country it has been blocked? (I'm in EU but have not tried. Not interested in their content even for curiosity. I can read in our media what they say: There is no war. Ukraine is no nation, but Russians suppressed by nazis that ask to be liberated. In Russian media other standpoints are not mentioned at all.) Edit: I have no…

Your attitude is a little bit perplexing to me. You have so much faith in your media that you trust them to accurately summarise what other media says? Though thinking further I kind of get where you are coming from - there's English language media from a certain country that's so bad at propaganda I cringe just reading the headline. Guess I'm not as open minded as I thought I was.

> You have so much faith in your media that you trust them to accurately summarise what other media says?

Yes, I trust them in that respect. I do disagree with quite many positions of Western society and their media. But I do trust them that they correctly summarize what Russian report about the war, which they are not allowed to call a war.

As a foreigner who speaks Finnish I am aware of the weird myths that can be spread by foreign media who don't speak the language. If you search HN submissions for Finland/Finnish you will find some of those, many of those I would see much more nuanced.

But I do trust that official Russia lying about the war is a fact.

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#35

Post by mytailorisrich » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 9:57 AM UTC

neuroma wrote: post #26

LAC-Tech wrote: post #15

I'm always a bit perplexed when people hold up the BBC as an example of a respectable, unbiased news source - a lot of their stuff is ham-fisted, and some of it is flat-out propaganda. I wouldn't say they are noticeably worse than other media staples - everything is biased - but they don't deserve to be on the pedestal they are put on.

Seriously? Nobody beyojd a few OAPs actually thinks the BBC is a font of perfect vision. It's simply a but less crassly propaganda ridden then most other sources, and more centrist (if you believe in the 1d political tribalism meme). The anti BBC narrative is largely political posturing to discredit one if the few remaining sources that aren't bought by private individuals to further their personal objectives. It's a…

Within the UK the "anti-BBC narrative" as you call it is indeed political, but I don't think it's posturing or a business plot, at least at grassroots level. I think it's based on the perception that the BBC itself tends to have a political and geographical bias.

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#36

Post by WanderPanda » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 9:58 AM UTC

LAC-Tech wrote: post #15

I'm always a bit perplexed when people hold up the BBC as an example of a respectable, unbiased news source - a lot of their stuff is ham-fisted, and some of it is flat-out propaganda. I wouldn't say they are noticeably worse than other media staples - everything is biased - but they don't deserve to be on the pedestal they are put on.

More neutral than e.g. German state media but still less neutral than AlJazeera (when it comes to non ME matters) IMO

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#37

Post by rvieira » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 10:07 AM UTC

LAC-Tech wrote: post #15

I'm always a bit perplexed when people hold up the BBC as an example of a respectable, unbiased news source - a lot of their stuff is ham-fisted, and some of it is flat-out propaganda. I wouldn't say they are noticeably worse than other media staples - everything is biased - but they don't deserve to be on the pedestal they are put on.

There are two BBCs. BBC News and BBC TV programmes.

BBC TV programmes (from fiction to documentaries) are among the best of in the world in terms of productions.

BBC News is incredibly biased pro-government. IMO, this all stems to the changes David Cameron did to its structure and funding, making it effectively averse to "upset" the government. They also have this view of "balance" that is best exemplified by inviting a flat-earther to a debate on Earth's geology to offer a alternate POV.

EDIT: Also, if anyone is not in the UK or following it, catch up on Nadine Dorries, the "culture" secretary of state. Her agenda is to discredit the BBC, bring "culture wars" to the public service debate (e.g. "Woke BBC") and threats of defunding.

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#38

Post by TruthWillHurt » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 10:07 AM UTC

WanderPanda wrote: post #36

LAC-Tech wrote: post #15

I'm always a bit perplexed when people hold up the BBC as an example of a respectable, unbiased news source - a lot of their stuff is ham-fisted, and some of it is flat-out propaganda. I wouldn't say they are noticeably worse than other media staples - everything is biased - but they don't deserve to be on the pedestal they are put on.

More neutral than e.g. German state media but still less neutral than AlJazeera (when it comes to non ME matters) IMO

"less neutral than AlJazeera (when it comes to non ME matters)"

Good thing you made that exception...

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#39

Post by jbjbjbjb » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 10:09 AM UTC

LAC-Tech wrote: post #15

I'm always a bit perplexed when people hold up the BBC as an example of a respectable, unbiased news source - a lot of their stuff is ham-fisted, and some of it is flat-out propaganda. I wouldn't say they are noticeably worse than other media staples - everything is biased - but they don't deserve to be on the pedestal they are put on.

Both left and right claim it is biased against them.

Re: Advice on accessing BBC News

#40

Post by TruthWillHurt » Sat, Mar 05, 2022, 10:10 AM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #17

madaxe_again wrote: post #2

Ironically, this advice is illegal in the U.K. under the computer misuse act - circumventing measures intended to restrict access to information is a criminal offence, as is providing information on how do do so.

"restrict access to information" means passwords, etc

True, but I'd say blocking network access os also a valid restriction by the owner.

And that's the key difference here - restricted by owner.