# BBC continues their assault on Tony Blair, or Fun With Quotation Marks **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 31, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113 "2003-07-31T13:02:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/81 "2003-08-01T12:58:49Z")
Jack I think you need to reread if you honestly think that. Funny though, because you’ve added your point of view to this argument in your post. Surely the effort you’ve just put into that response is therefore equally pointless? Or is that what you meant by the last line (I love that attitude, by the way: “don’t criticise me because I can already see the flaws in my own post”) Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/82 "2003-08-01T13:04:01Z")
I do apologize for lumping the BBC into being a liberal news outlet. Their track record does not show that. I also apologize for flying off the handle on SimonX and London\_Calling. I got a little carried away. But, was this story from maybe Reuters or the AP? If so, then they are the ones who caused the spin. This does not get the BBC, or any other news outlet who ran the story, off of the hook. A simple fact checking of the article versus the actual quote would have shown the spin. A news outlet has the choice to run or story or not. If they chose to run the story, then they are just as much guilty of the spin as the originator of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/83 "2003-08-01T13:27:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Martiju \* > **Funny though, because you’ve added your point of view to this argument in your post. Surely the effort you’ve just put into that response is therefore equally pointless?** Pointing out silliness and hypocrisy is at least marginally more interesting than hand-wringing over coverage of Tony Blair.\*\* > [@](#): > > Or is that what you meant by the last line (I love that attitude, by the way: “don’t criticise me because I can already see the flaws in my own post”) > > Hmmm. \*\* Take your own suggestion, and reread this thread for context. I trust there will be no further blasts about “bigotry” here. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/84 "2003-08-01T13:33:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chicago Faucet \* > \*\*But, was this story from maybe Reuters or the AP? If so, then they are the ones who caused the spin. \*\* All major UK media were at the press conference. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/85 "2003-08-01T13:41:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackmannii \* > **Pointing out silliness and hypocrisy is at least marginally more interesting than hand-wringing over coverage of Tony Blair.** > Take your own suggestion, and reread this thread for context. > > I trust there will be no further blasts about “bigotry” here. \*\* Except I’m not accusing you of bigotry - if anything, I’m accusing you of hypocrisy in your post about detail. In fact though, I was just pointing out the irony. Never mind. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/86 "2003-08-01T16:45:06Z")
A recent headline from the BBC: [Tests ‘show Saddam’s sons died’](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3091151.stm)😉 So Gilligan claims he didn’t write exactly what he wrote. Interesting. They’ve convinced themselves of their own Jessica Lynch story too, because I see it repeated often: “capture and rescue exaggerated”, which is much more damaging imo because it concerns a individual who’s not any kind of official. The NYT was even suspicious of that one. In light of these things the accusations of extreme American media bias from across the pond make much more sense. They have no more credibility than anything found on an average blog, but they do make sense. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/87 "2003-08-01T17:07:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > In which the noted non-racist and non-troll deposits another leaky sack of shit in GD . . . > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Clawman \* > Remind me again mods on the rule about trolling? **[THE RULE ABOUT TROLLING:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2670336#post2670336)** > [@](#): > > Do **not** publicly accuse someone of trolling at the SDMB. **[WHAT IS A TROLL?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtroll.html)** Note that the definition of “troll” is _not_ “someone who posts something you personally disagree with”, “someone who posts something you think is unsubstantiated or incorrect”, “someone who is partisan” or “someone with an ideology or beliefs that are different from or opposed to yours”. ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113/88 "2003-08-01T17:23:47Z")
> [@](#): > > “Troll,” in the context of message boards and the like, describes somebody who is posting just to be confrontational or to raise hackles. > > There are more subtle trolling techniques as well. > > To be fair, not all trolls are slimeballs. > > Trolling aims to elicit an emotional reaction from those with a hair-trigger on the reply key. > > A really subtle troll makes some people lose their minds. > > The main point about trolls is that they intentionally mislead others. > > If somebody is simply ignorant or obtuse, it’s incorrect to call him a troll Hmm, must be the last one then. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-continues-their-assault-on-tony-blair-or-fun-with-quotation-marks/192113.md?page=4)