- Craig Oliver
- 25 Jan 07, 12:05 PM
There have been concerns that Egyptian police used for years - but it has always been hard to prove. Our reporter in the country obtained graphic mobile phone pictures putting it beyond doubt. The most disturbing were pictures of a man naked from the waist down - his legs lifted in the air while he was sodomised with a pole. The camera zoomed in on his face, contorted in agony. Many found his screams the most disturbing aspect. To add to the seriousness of the issue, the British government is considering sending prisoners back to Egypt.
We thought long and hard about what Ian Pannell could show in his report (which you can watch here). We decided to show a few seconds of the man's face, removing the soundtrack of screams, and then freezing the picture as we explained the rest, which was too disturbing to show. There was a warning in the studio introduction, and Ian's commentary made clear what was coming. I believe we struck a balance between the need to show the horror of what happened, with concerns about exposing the audience to graphic images.
Craig Oliver is editor of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News at Six and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News at Ten
- Rod McKenzie
- 25 Jan 07, 11:34 AM
Our coverage of the Jade versus Shilpa triggered an all-time record for listener interaction on Radio 1 and 1Xtra. The audience joining the debate online and on the texts, reflecting the row that raged across the nation. What interested us most were the shifts in opinion as the story went on. Overall on Radio 1, our listeners seemed to feel that Jade's outburst against the Bollywood actress was a clear case of bullying - not racism. Feelings ran high: "What a load of crap, if she was white and getting the same treatment it would just be girls being bitchy and I'm Indian" was one widely supported view.
On Thursday we ran two votes on Radio 1: one on our online site and one on the texts - the results in this self-selecting poll were startlingly clear. More than six thousand texters thought Jade's actions were NOT racist - there was a slightly lower figure online: 65% out of two thousand agreed that it wasn't about racism. By contrast a similar poll on our sister station 1Xtra - which champions new black music - saw 65% of listeners rating the outburst as racist.
As the story changed, so did our listenersβ widespread condemnation of Jade Goody's actions.
First came Shilpa's statement in the diary room that she didn't think her treatment was triggered by racism. Then as the row blew up around Channel 4 executives, Jade tearfully confessed to the News of the World that she'd been wrong and had made racist remarks - although she denied she was a racist.
With Max Clifford and others wondering if she'd damaged her career as her perfume was withdrawn from sale in at least one chain, something else was happening among our listeners on Radio 1 - a massive outbreak of sympathy.
By Monday we were tracking a huge response that seemed to suggest that however hard it is to say sorry - the public appreciate people who have the courage to do so: βI'm so sick of everyone blaming Jade and Jade shouldn't have to take this rubbish - leave her alone.β
Rod McKenzie is editor of Newsbeat and 1Xtra News
Daily Mail: A report on criticisms made of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's coverage of the execution of Saddam Hussein. (no link available)
The Guardian: A columnist's view of a speech given by the editor of the Daily Mail, where he attacked the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ. ()
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