3 ms·

“A BBC spokesperson said: “Wild Isles consists of five episodes: Our Precious Isles, Woodland, Grassland, Freshwater and Ocean. Saving Our Wild Isles is a separ

by fwlr 4y ago

“A BBC spokesperson said: “Wild Isles consists of five episodes: Our Precious Isles, Woodland, Grassland, Freshwater and Ocean. Saving Our Wild Isles is a separate film inspired by the series that was commissioned by the RSPB and WWF. We’ve acquired it for iPlayer.” “ Talk about burying the lede! This is the last line of the article!

beardyw 4y ago
Well, to be fair, that's the spokesman's take on it. The truth is probably somewhere between.
- johneth 4y ago
  How? The statement is unambiguous. The WWF also confirmed this: https://twitter.com/wwf_uk/status/1634290349098057728 https://twitter.com/wwf_uk/status/1634290349098057728
crtasm 4y ago
I note that paragraph has since been removed.
- fwlr 4y ago
  Yes, it’s been moved to further up in the piece (less buried) and the BBC spokesperson quote has been updated to a more strident one: “In a statement provided after the story was first published, the BBC said: “This is totally inaccurate, there is no ‘sixth episode’. Wild Isles is – and always was – a five part series and does not shy away from environmental content. We have acquired a separate film for iPlayer from the RSPB and WWF and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles.””
  - madaxe_again 4y ago
    And we have always been at war with EastAsia. Here’s the thing - they’ve shot their credibility so badly that I don’t actually believe them any more.
    - fwlr 4y ago
      I mean if you want my cynical take, it goes like this. Some BBC producer wanted to make the Wild Isles series about conservation and climate change, they couldn’t get sign-off to spend BBC money on it, but they did get charities to pay for it. BBC upper management was okay with this because it was pitched as a “separate companion” film on the same topic. Once it was made the producer pushed for it to be screened as the sixth episode and was told no, so they called up their friends at The Guardian and said “I’ll be your unnamed source if you say this is about kowtowing to the radical right”. The plan was to generate pressure from the left on the BBC to air the film as if it were the sixth episode. That is why the unnamed BBC source and the BBC spokesperson are making contradictory statements.

by fwlr 4y ago

beardyw 4y ago

Well, to be fair, that's the spokesman's take on it. The truth is probably somewhere between.

johneth 4y ago
How? The statement is unambiguous. The WWF also confirmed this: https://twitter.com/wwf_uk/status/1634290349098057728 https://twitter.com/wwf_uk/status/1634290349098057728

crtasm 4y ago

I note that paragraph has since been removed.

fwlr 4y ago
Yes, it’s been moved to further up in the piece (less buried) and the BBC spokesperson quote has been updated to a more strident one: “In a statement provided after the story was first published, the BBC said: “This is totally inaccurate, there is no ‘sixth episode’. Wild Isles is – and always was – a five part series and does not shy away from environmental content. We have acquired a separate film for iPlayer from the RSPB and WWF and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles.””
- madaxe_again 4y ago
  And we have always been at war with EastAsia. Here’s the thing - they’ve shot their credibility so badly that I don’t actually believe them any more.
  - fwlr 4y ago
    I mean if you want my cynical take, it goes like this. Some BBC producer wanted to make the Wild Isles series about conservation and climate change, they couldn’t get sign-off to spend BBC money on it, but they did get charities to pay for it. BBC upper management was okay with this because it was pitched as a “separate companion” film on the same topic. Once it was made the producer pushed for it to be screened as the sixth episode and was told no, so they called up their friends at The Guardian and said “I’ll be your unnamed source if you say this is about kowtowing to the radical right”. The plan was to generate pressure from the left on the BBC to air the film as if it were the sixth episode. That is why the unnamed BBC source and the BBC spokesperson are making contradictory statements.