Boris Bashing At The BBC

The BBC's On-line News 'Boris-bashing' knows no bounds. It's almost as if someone working there doesn't like the man. Or someone is pulling their strings.

Forget all the skewed stories and skulduggery that went on during the run up to the Mayoral elections. Three silly stories have popped up recently which the BBC reported with such glee. 

We had a BBC generated non-story about confusion over the existence of a report from Johnson's predecessor on the cost of the London Olympics. Johnson said a deal signed by Livingstone on cost over-runs was "far from clear" and he doubted its existence. Livingstone said the comments were "bizarre" as the memorandum of understanding had been published. 

Then the non-story over some remarks made by his political advisor buried in a very old and long-winded 'interview' posted on an obscure web site. When the advisor resigned, this was reported  by the BBC (again with more glee) with a 'Breaking News' flag (an over-used rolling news device designed to grab your attention). 

And to add more credence, the chap who posted the original interview was described by the BBC as an 'undercover journalist/reporter'. When he is nothing of the sort. He's a black activist with strong links to Labour. The 'undercover' bit was subsequently remove fom the next day's bulletin.

Now we have a picture on the BBC  On-line News bulletin of Johnson made to look silly wearing a fez and smoking a cigar, to accompany a story about a cigar case. Apparently the cigar case has been taken into police custody because it once belonged to someone in Iraq. It's a rehash of an old story. 

Today's splendid article by Johnson in the Daily Telegraph has little to do with a cigar case and everything to do with the lies, deceit and downright illegality of the Iraq War. But the BBC has chosen to show Boris in a fez, smoking a cigar. To try to make him look silly.

As usual, the people at the BBC have got their politically correct knickers in a twist. 

The photgraph of Boris was put there to make him look a figure of fun. But Johnson has Turkish roots and the fez is a traditional piece of headwear worn in many parts of the Muslim world. There's nothing funny about that.