BBC drops ‘Planet Relief’ programme
The BBC had planned to air a day-long programme similar to its Comic Relief and Live8 programmes to highlight global warming and environmental issues. The programme had provisionally booked Jonathan Ross and Ricky Gervais as presenters and was due to be shown early next year. The BBC defended its decision to axe the programme by saying that it was not their job to lead opinion on the issue of global warming. Peter Horrocks, head of television news, wrote in the BBC News website editor's blog: "It is not the BBC's job to lead opinion or proselytise on this or any other subject.” Funny that, the BBC seem to be quite comfortable to lead opinion on many other issues, such as poverty, famine…and many others.
Green activist and author Mark Lynas said the decision showed "a real poverty of understanding among senior BBC executives about the gravity of the situation we now face…The only reason why this became an issue is that there is a small but vociferous group of extreme right-wing climate 'sceptics' lobbying against taking action, so the BBC is behaving like a coward and refusing to take a more consistent stance." Sounds like the lobbyists are winning over here as they are in the USA. I remember when politicians and senior figures acted on their convictions, now they seem to act to please whoever shouts the loudest.
