GZ is one discreet dude! Let's hope the BBC doesn't have a team of hitmen that specialize in bloggers!!
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: Thursday, November 24, 2005
: My interview with the BBC
: My interview with the BBC
: By Gabriele Zamparini (*)
: On 17 November 2005 I received an email from the BBC. They wanted to
: interview me for the BBC 2 programme Newsnight. Wow! I felt excited.
: Then I thought, wait a minute. Why should the BBC interview the guy
: who wrote “Will the BBC tell the truth about Fallujah?”
: (November 07, 2005), “EXCLUSIVE: the BBC is WRONG!!! Fallujah,
: the RAI NEWS 24 documentary and my e-mail exchange with the
: BBC” (November 08, 2005). “BBC and Fallujah: War Crimes,
: Lies and Omertà” (November 09, 2005), “The BBC, of
: course!” (November 16, 2005), “SHAMELESS BBC: WHEN
: MISINFORMATION MEANS WAR CRIMES. Exclusive interview with Karen
: Parker, Chief Counsel of the Association of Humanitarian
: Lawyers” (November 17, 2005). Still thinking, I got the first
: of three telephone calls from BBC Newsnight. After each call I sent
: an email to a friend of mine to let him know about the news. Here
: below I reproduce the e-mail I received from the BBC asking for an
: interview and the three e-mails I sent to my friend. Have fun!
: From: "XXXXXXXXX
: Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 13:10:21 -0000
: To: Subject: BBC NEWSNIGHT QUERY
: To Whom It May Concern,
: I am trying to get the contact details for Gabriele Zamparini for a
: possible BBC Newsnight interview.
: If I could possibly be provided with his relevant number - I would be
: very grateful. I can be reached either by email, or on my mobile -
: XXXXXXXX
: With best wishes,
: XXXXXX
: FIRST EMAIL TO MY FRIEND: XXXX XXXX just called me. First she invited me
: for tonight's programme. Then she asked me a couple of questions,
: like, what do you think about bloggers? It's a good or bad thing? How
: bloggers get their news? Etc...
: I gave very short, "balanced" answers. But probably even that
: wasn't enough balanced since at the end she told me that this thing
: of tonight was not sure and she would call me back in a couple of
: hours. (…)
: So, now. I am waiting for their decision. Then I will decide.
: My feeling is that they wanted "a blogger" to talk about the
: "blogs world"!
: Probably my answers have not been "satisfactory" for the kind
: of programme they have in mind.
: Gabriele
: SECOND EMAIL TO MY FRIEND: They called me again. This time was a male
: journalist, too bad I didn't get his name. He wanted to know "my
: point of view"
: So I said: so, this means that if you don't like what I say, you won't
: invite me, right?
: Then I answered and told him what "my point of view" was.
: I have been extremely polite, even sweet.
: But I expressed my view.
: He kept saying: "your feelings are"
: I kept repeating: "it's not about my feelings but about facts"
: I told him that there is a whole universe of alternative information out
: there. And people prefer spend their time following these media
: because they have lost completely the trust with the mainstream. I
: told him that people are not stupid. I told him that those in the
: mainstream media seem to me like those in the green zone in Baghdad.
: They are completely isolated from the real world.
: And about the war in Iraq, I told him that the "coverage" of
: the BBC is simply shameful and I wonder how people can sleep at night
: knowing all what's happening.
: I told him that of course there are a lot of professional journalists at
: the BBC and I ask him what they are waiting for and when they are
: going to work as journalists, since now most of the time they seem to
: be the spokespeople for 10 Downing street, or for the pentagon or the
: white house.
: I also told him that even though at the BBC they don't have to struggle
: like most of us in the alternative media, I would never switch my
: life with theirs.
: I was always very polite, low voice, and sweet.
: At the end, he said: "If we need you, we'll call you"
: "Yes, of course sir. Good luck." was my answer
: THIRD EMAIL TO MY FRIEND: The name was XXX XXXX. He called again. Wanted
: to know who passed me the info about the Military Magazine that
: reported the use of WP in Fallujah. I told him that at the end of my
: article there is written the name with the link of the American guy
: who passed me that info and that he had written this on his blog the
: same day. It took 30 minutes just to make him understand how to go to
: the blog and click the link! These guys are preparing a programme on
: blogs or want to pass the info to someone? He was shocked that
: "bloggers" pass such important info each other!!! It seems
: the programme will be focused on the "power of blogs", not
: on the issue! Of course! The funny part: he said: So the BBC reported
: on this after you published it on your blog?
: Answer: Yeah, right! I wish. The BBC "reported" on this only
: after Monbiot published it on the Guardian!!!
: Professional journalism at the BBC...
: Oh yes. The interview. What interview?
: (*) Gabriele Zamparini is an independent filmmaker, writer and
: journalist living in London. He's the producer and director of the
: documentaries XXI CENTURY and The Peace! DVD and author of American
: Voices of Dissent (Paradigm Publishers). He can be reached at
: info@thecatsdream.com
: posted by The Cat's Dream at 6:15 PM
