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It should be noted that UK law doesn't allow the news to air unconfirmed speculation as fact or else they, as well as the person saying it, can be held liable f
by uxp 15y ago
It should be noted that UK law doesn't allow the news to air unconfirmed speculation as fact or else they, as well as the person saying it, can be held liable for defamation. The interviewer, by UK law and most likely BBC policy, is required to interrupt him after he says that a boy was shot in the face by police because the BBC can't prove that the boy was shot in the face.
Initial reports I've read are that the boy he says was fatally shot by police was first non-fatally shot in the bicep, and then fatally shot in the chest. Enough of a difference to warrant the interruption in that case.
- binarymax 15y agoYes, and yet, at 3:44 in the video she states "...You have taken part in [riots] yourself." Which is pure speculation. She showed very little integrity in that accusation.
- gaius 15y agoDarcus Howe was a very well known agitator in the 1980s and served time for assaulting a police officer. As soon as he's backed into a corner he plays the "negro" card, he knows fully well how to manipulate the BBC.
- jshen 15y agowas MLK an agitator? I don't know anything about Howe, but I get skeptical when dissidents are labelled with the intention of dismissing them.
- gaius 15y agoHe's a professional race "victim", without stirring up racial tension, he loses his soapbox and his income. If you look at the footage and photos of the rioters, they come in all shades.
- anonymous246 15y agoWas MLK a professional race "victim"?
- iuguy 15y agoBut it isn't speculation[1], he's organised riots[2]. Darcus Howe is a far-left ex-Black Panther who sees nearly everything through colour[3]. If you take a moment to read his columns you'll see recurring themes about how black people are treated. Take it with a massive rock of salt. [1] - http://www.internationaltimes.it/index.php?year=1971&volume=IT-Volume-1&issue=96&item=IT_1971-01-28_B-IT-Volume-1_Iss-96_003 http://www.internationaltimes.it/index.php?year=1971&vol... [2] - http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2008/08/brixton-and-the-riots-in-1981/ http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2008/08/brixton-and-the-ri... [3] - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4360054.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4360054.stm
- anonymous246 15y agoOk, I waded through your link. If you're claiming to substantiate your claims, you should substantiate your claims. [2] has Howe narrating what happened in the riots, not him claiming to have organized them. And [1] is about how a rioting case against him was thrown out.
- uxp 15y agoTrue. Without defending the reporter, as I have my own opinion about the interview, it isn't a bad thing that she tries to challenge his view of the situation to get more information, but the way she does it seems forced and coercive, trying to almost pin him as "one of them" without saying it directly. Edit: I've also read about his past, as a few other people have responded to your comment linking to some of his history as an activist. That's a whole different ballgame from the one I was originally talking about, which is responsible journalism.
- baha_man 15y ago"Initial reports I've read are that the boy he says was fatally shot by police was first non-fatally shot in the bicep, and then fatally shot in the chest." Yes, also Mark Duggan was 29 - hardly "a boy". Edit: Actually, while it's been confirmed that Mark Duggan was shot in the bicep and (fatally) in the chest, I don't think they've established the order in which the shots were fired.