What Mark Longhurst and Sky News didn't realise about Pulse attack

Last night during the Sky News paper review at 10:30 (it wasn't repeated at 11:30) Owen Jones, who is someone I admittedly don't always agree with tried to make the point that the attack on the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando was a direct homophobic attack. In a heated exchange in which Mark Longhurst the host and Julia Hartley-Brewer tried to down play the homophobic element of the attack Longhurst said "you don't have ownership of this horror cause you're gay."

I for one, and reading social media late last night, must of the LGBT+ community were outraged by such a reaction. We saw that comment for what it was a white, straight, cis-gendered, male not understanding that an attack on a minority grouping is not merely an attack on freedom, or an attack on humans having fun. This WAS and attack on the LGBT+ community. It was the realisation of many in the LGBT+ communities' worse fears.

If ISIS are throwing people some as young as nine off buildings in the areas they control for believing them to be gay, and they are carrying out attacks in the west, who might they attack here? Well of course one of the worse fears is that someone would claim to attack a gay venue or event in the name of IS. This is what happened in the early hours of Sunday morning and it is now the worse mass shooting in American history. So yeah the LGBT+ community can see that Owen Jones was right this was an attack on LGBT+ people. It was the realisation of our worst nightmare write large of the situation in our world today.

Julia Hartley-Brewer dismissed the attacked as "mad and bad" or as a "lunatic" bit for whatever reason he drove 90 miles and had premeditated to carry out this atrocity. The use of such words do not reflect what happened. This was someone with a seriously different world view to the established liberal, western mentality, even more so that the small c conservative mentality. But there are other people with a similar mind set out there who may well be planning something similar: a similar act to instil terror in the LGBT+ individuals.

In other words an Act of Terrorism against the LGBT+ communities.

Yet Sky News chose to mock the use of those words from someone who identifies as a gay man, someone in tune with the fear that is flowing out there amongst LGBT+ viewers. They negated the sense of terror that many LGBT+ people had heightened as a result of this attack, the mocked it in a way which is in itself homophobic in nature by ignoring the real concerns of all those individuals and merely seeing this in their own eyes.

It is therefore not surprising that I see that the segment which even Sky had deemed that they could not repeat has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

 

Causing a stir for Paddy Powers Transphobic ad

Yesterday  I wrote a blog post over at LGBT+ Lib Dems Northern Ireland about betting company Paddy Power and the advert it showed a game of spot the CIS woman from the transgendered woman, only of course they didn't put it in quite such political correct terms. Here's how I started the post.

They say that the Cheltenham Festival of racing is one of Ireland's finest hours every year. Even if the Irish are losing money hand over fist at the trackside bookies.

However, Ireland's largest and most successful bookmakers Paddy Power have brought shame on themselves with their current advert leading up to Ireland's biggest betting week for their mobile app.

In the ad they say that they are "going to make Ladies Day even more exciting by adding some beautiful transgendered ladies: Spot the Stallions from the Mares."

You can read the rest on the blog post. It has since been quoted extensively in The Guardian as well as beating Pink News to the story, thereby being quoted. The story is currently accounting for over a third of the life time hits on the LGBT+ Lib Dems Northern Ireland blog. 

Paddy Power have apparently finally issued a statement saying:

 "Several members of the UK transgender community are cast in the ad, and it was also cleared by Clear Cast before airing. This ad is simply a bit of mild mannered fun in the run up to the Cheltenham Festival."

I wonder did they know the content, context or voice over ramifications of the advert they were making? Most appear to be in crowd scenes which means they could have been shot for any purpose. The only one doing any action shots is the person seen leaving the male toilets. I think the reaction that Paddy Power is making them seriously rethink what they have done. Though we have yet to see a public apology and their standard response to complaints

"Paddy Power has a long-held reputation of breaking the mould and doing things that are new and innovative for our customers and viewers. Our aim though is always to entertain, never to offend, and we apologise for any upset caused."

shows that they have not grasped the seriousness of what they have done.

If you haven't already please go and read my original blogpost or mine and other people's comments on the Cheltenham Festival website.

Hurricane Bawbag

The Scots, and indeed those of us in Northern Ireland, are battening down the hatches in the face of horrendous storms. The locals have nicked named it Hurricane Bawbag, though the pesky Germans are calling the depression Friedrich.

However, I'm hearing of blackouts in the North of Ireland (Donegal, Derry and Antrim) as well as Dumfries and Galloway, Clyde and Central Scotland. But it doesn't stop there being a little bit of humour to lighten the mood. The hashtag #HurricaneBawbag top trended not just in the UK but World wide.

Although it appears to have blown away Sky News's atlas, because they say (see above) that "In Northern Ireland, Malin Head was hit by steady winds of 58mph and gusts of 80mph." Malin Head may well be wear generations of my ancestors lived, fortunately with a bank of earth sheltering them from the Atlantic winds. It may well be the most northern point in Ireland, but it is not in Northern Ireland.

There are rumours circulating that Hurricane Bawbag may just be Sir Alex Ferguson still going through post-game analysis with his players after yesterday's Champion League performance. But it appears that the storm may also be making a bit for Olympic trampolining gold as it has been gathering equipment.



Of course even when the lights are oot there is still a guitar that can be played and a Bob Dylan classic that is calling out to be rewritten.



Update while the mainstream media shied away from using the term Eddie Mair did ask should he use in on the PM programme on Radio 4. In the words of a famous Scot Magnus Magnusson he however started but did not finish reading out the Wikipedia page entry. Apparently scrotum is not acceptable language in drivetime, though bawbag was.

Philip Schofield also fell foul of trying to anglicise the term later in the evening. When he tweeted:

Just looking through my timeline! Scotland! Are you ok? And who thought to call the hurricane ball bag?!!

For hours he was getting people correcting him or telling him to get his Glasgow Accent out or check with Lorraine Kelly or John Barrowman on how to pronounce it.

However, the SNP's Rob Gibson MSP did give Bawbag a namecheck on Scotland Tonight

Arab Spring to late Summer: Libyan Fall

I remember watching the Wall come down in Berlin. I remember on Christmas Day in 1989 watching the evidence of the end of the Romanian dictators. I was watching when the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled. Last night was another of those days.

For hours, into the small hours of this morning, I was engrossed on the rolling news. Not the BBC which seemed so far behind it may well have been reporting on England winning the World Cup, or Mr Chamberlain saying he had no concerns with Herr Hitler. Ibit the bullet and watched Sky News to get the most up to date news. For while Alex Crawford was a vehicle with the rebel forces surging towards the centre of Tripoli, the BBC correspondents were caught up in the Hotel Rixos which was under Gadaffi's government control and spewing out the sort of half truths via press conferences similar to those that were coming from Chemical Ali as Baghdad was falling.


The coverage was so different. The BBC were saying it is reported that the rebels are now here. Sky where saying they were, because they had the coverage of it live from Alex Crawford in bullet proof vest and helmet. As much to protect her from celebratory bullets in the air than any snipers. But that changed as they entered Green Square. There the driver of her vehicle did reverse for a km up the road when gun shot, the first of their advance, was aimed at them, not into the sky in celebration. The crowds that had surrounded them dispearses, but only brielfly as they all eventually returned.

Two of Muammar Gadaffi's sons have been detained, but there is no news of where the man himself is. He had been seen in Triopli on TV last night and had made a radio call for support from the rest of Libya late last night.

Gadaffi's flag has been being taken down at embassies around the world (in Valetta, Ankara) and replaced with the rebels flag of the new and pre-Gadaffi Libya.

I Pity the Fool: Ten More Things that Rupert Murdoch Doesn't Own

Following the success of yesterday's blog post about the bits of Sky that Rupert Murdoch doesn't own I thought I'd better turn attention to the name of the man himself.

• 10. Murdoch is a large, strong orange tender engine and the largest steam engine on the lsland at least in the TV adaptation of Reverend W. V. Awdry's Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
• 9. Junior Officers in the British Army are nicknamed Rupert apparently because they epitomise the public school values as in Rupert the Bear (see below)
• 8. 9138_Murdoch an asteroid in the asteroid belt.
• 7. The paradummies used by the British in World War II were nicknamed Rupert. Looks like Murdoch isn't the first dummy associated with sky.
• 6. Rupert and Murdock are a pair of Canadian rivers the former one of the largest rivers in Quebec flowing into James Bay and the latter in the Sudbury District of central Ontario
• 5. Rupert Grint, flame haired actor who forever will be in the public memory as Ron Weasly from the Harry Potter series of films.
• 4. Iris Murdoch the late author and philosopher who was bestowed the honourary Doctorate at my own graduation.
• 3. Rupert the Bear. Created in 1920 by Mary Tourtel and appears in the Daily Express which is the flagship of Express Newspapers and not part of Murdoch's News International
• 2. Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock, if you can find him, if you're brave enough to fly with him he is one quarter of the A-Team
• 1. The at the time fictional tenth planet* in the Solar System beyond Pluto as written by Douglas Adams in Mostly Harmless. However, just by Mr Murdoch's recent activity maybe a Rupert orbiting the Sun way out there isn't that strange after all.

* Researchers on H2G2 refer to the time in limbo between Douglas's Digital Village running the site and the BBC taking it over affectionately as 'Rupert' in honour of this fictitious planet that nobody could see.

Ten Things that Rupert Murdoch Doesn't Own

Following the news (EXCLUSIVE TO SKY) that Rupert Murdoch claims he owns the Sky© in Skype here are ten things he doesn't own.

10. The Skye Bridge lyrics written by Sir Harold Boulton, Bart. (1859 - 1935)
9. The Skyways Hotel, London or in any other location
8. The Sky at Night still screened on BBC
7. Himmelbjerget also known as the Sky Mountain in Denmark
6. Skypark in Glasgow
5. The Skye Boat song
4. Sky Blue Way, owned by the people of Coventry in honour of their football team.
3. The Minneapolis Skyway System
2. He is not one third of the MPs for Ross, Skye and Lochaber that is our own Charles Kennedy.
1. Last I checked the sky itself was still public property

I would add the movie Vanilla Sky, but would you want to and Sky Movies© probably already own rights to show it.

The West Lothian Question for Sky Election TV Debates

You could almost see it coming, Sky issue an ultimatum to the leaders for a television debate and Alex Salmond demands to be part of it. Stewart Hosie the SNP Westminster whip claims:

"Sky must meet its obligations to audiences across the UK – and so any debate involving Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg would have to include Alex Salmond. "

As I pointed out early last month there are a lot of issues with that, the first being that the leader of the DUP has more right on current representation, the other that 4 other parties would on 2005 seats contested have more right that the SNP to a UK-wide platform. Indeed he is contesting less than 10% of the seats.

However, the most crucial point of course, in my opinion, is that Alex Salmond himself would not be standing in the next Westminster election. This is not a contest for where he wants to have his sole seat after the election. The other party leaders at least would be contesting the election, would if elected have some responsibility for the issues that would be open for deabte. I've already stated, as it seems do Sky, that there should be debates for the Scottish and Welsh to be held these should have the Scottish or Welsh leader for each of the parties in Westminster. In the case of the Scottish Lib Dems that role falls on Michael Moore not Tavish Scott and for the SNP that would be Angus Robertson not Alex Salmond. As Tam Dalyell would say can we really have a Member of the Scottish Parliament answering questions about matters over which he has no say*.

Another reason that I see Alex Salmond forfeiting his place in the Westminster debate is the lack of interest he has shown in the place, from even before he gained his Holyrood seat. From the start of 2007 to present he has the worse attendance record of any MP who has actually taken the oath to serve, only Sinn Fein's non-attendance is worse.

I think the televised debate is a good thing, long overdue and important to get the policies tested in a format from those in know. Like in the American debates where the speakers are kept to their strict timings to answer and rebut one another. How big can we make such a debate and keep it relevant? That is an interesting question.

However, Caroline Lucas has more of an ax to grind over the debate but is more focused on the funding discrepancies for minority parties yesterday. UKIP's Nigel Farage who fielded the fourth highest number of candidates said nothing at all. Only Salmond is again first out of the trap to demand equality where for him none exists on a number of counts. But it is a question that Sky need and appear to want to address. But if they are only looking for party leaders no substitutes, they may well set the rules for Westminster leaders no substitutes.

*It should be noted that once the Prime Minister goes to the Queen to gain a dissolution Salmond ceases to be an MP or a candidate seeking election to that Parliament.

Sky's Standard Response

I have heard back from Sky regarding my complaint about their stance on the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Gaza Appeal. Working as I do in the customer services industry I can spot that this is a standard response. However, it is more than the BBC have managed so far.

Dear Stephen

Thank you for your message. John Ryley, Head of Sky News made the
following statement explaining our position on Monday 26 January 2009.

"The conflict in Gaza forms part of one of the most challenging and
contentious stories for any news organisation to cover.

"Our commitment as journalists is to cover all sides of that story with
uncompromising objectivity. We have provided, and we will continue to provide,
extensive coverage from Gaza and from the wider region on the conflict and its
human consequences for people on both sides. Our team is on the ground in the
region and will continue to cover the story in the coming days and weeks.

"The absolute impartiality of our output is fundamental to Sky News and
its journalism. That is why, after very careful consideration, we have concluded
that broadcasting an appeal for Gaza at this time is incompatible with our role
in providing balanced and objective reporting of this continuing situation to
our audiences in the UK and around the world.

"It is important to state that this decision is not a judgement on the
good intentions of the appeal. No one could fail to be touched by the human
suffering on both sides of the conflict, which has been the focus of much of our
own reporting in the region.

"However, the nature of an appeal is that it sets out to provoke a
specific response from the viewer. We don’t believe that broadcasting such an
appeal on Sky News can be combined with the balance and context that impartial
journalism aims to bring to the highly charged and continuing conflict in
Gaza.

"Unlike some other UK broadcasters, Sky News is widely viewed across
the Middle East. In order to continue to serve all our audiences, we must ensure
that our journalists can continue to operate effectively in difficult
conditions. This must remain the first priority for any news
organisation."

I appreciate that this is not the conclusion you would have liked us to
come to, but nevertheless I hope you will understand why we came to this
decision.

Kind regards

Viewer Relations

Three points I have to raise.

Sky say they are against showing the "appeal at this time" but the whole point of the DEC is to respond in prompt time to real emergencies as they occur. There is not later time that the DEC would be acting together to raise money for funds at this time.

Second as with the BBC they hide behind "incompatible with our role in providing balanced and objective reporting of this continuing situation". The situation with Israel and Palestine has been ongoing for years, centuries, even millennia if we want to be accurate about it. The fact that they deem the situation to be continuing also means that things could very easily still get worse for those who are suffering.

Finally "the nature of an appeal is that it sets out to provoke a specific response from the viewer" yeah it is there to play at people heartstrings to dig into their pockets and donate to alleviate suffering. If we pussy foot around people who cause that suffering because they may be offended to see just what collateral damage they have caused how is that helping anyone.

So at least Sky have responded even if with indefensible platitudes. But nothing yet from "MY" (as they like to remind me) BBC.

Sky Falls in Over Gaza

Sky have joined the BBC is refusing to show the DEC Appeal for Gaza.

Adrian Wells, Sky's director of foreign news, said the station understood the good intentions of the charities seeking to publicize the situation in Gaza. He said:

"Let me say to those people who might be angry, people who might be passionate
about this, there is no question about Sky's commitment to reporting the region.
We've had our reporters there since the gates of Gaza opened. There is
absolutely no question of Sky viewers not being aware of the humanitarian
crisis."

That may be the case but unless you provide an alternative way for people to hear about how to donate to the appeal Britain's largest satellite TV provider has fallen in line with the one UK citizens all pay their licence fee for in stated that impartiality will be compromised.

As I stated earlier on today the DEC were going to distribute Aid impartially however the greater share would obvious got to the greater affected region, which in this case is Gaza.