Bishop Hill Attenborough on Earth Report
Some years ago, Sir David Attenborough wrote an article about his involvement in TVE's Earth Report series. There is much of interest, including the fact that programmes were sponsored by WWF at various times, and that he himself introduced each programme.
The series has been made possible by the generosity of WWF and the MacArthur Foundation, which have provided more than half the $900,000 it is costing to provide a regular service. Other finance has come from such sources as the Global Environment Facility, the World Health Organization, UNEP, and the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention.
It would be interesting to know if the sponsorship was acknowledged in the Earth Reports shows. Attenborough, as a former Director of Programmes at the BBC, would presumably have known the rules.
Bishop Hill
There is an Earth Report show here on YouTube, although not one of the ones fronted by Attenborough. The EU is thanked at the end of the credits, but there is nothing to indicate any sponsorship.
This one thanks UNEP, without indicating any sponsorship.
This one carries the UNEP logo at the end.
Reader Comments (11)
Well, well, external editor of the Earth Report (see Contributors page) is no lesser person than Geoffrey Lean, environment editor of The Daily Telegraph.
Among the many contributors (1996) a category which includes rock stars and other celebs, are Al Gore, Connie Hedegaard, Rajendra Pachauri, Eileen Claussen- then President of the Pew Centre, Maurice Strong, Sir John Houghton, Eliot Morley and Thilo Bodi, at that time the director of Greenpeace (plus 5 other Greenpeace reps).The names seem familiar somehow....
I think that should be One Planet (not Earth Report), where Attenborough wrote the article.
I guess the contributors list is not a surprise. Lean's involvement is interesting though. I don't know what this says about his journalistic credibility.
Everything.
At least Geoff the Green writes his own stuff (mostly). Which must be unique among 'Environment Correspondents'
His partner in crime at the Telegraph- Loopy Lousie Gray - does nothing more than cut and paste press releases from Greenp****, WWF and any other bunch of the Warmistas that she can find. And in the interests of recycling she often publishes the same story two or three times six months or so apart.
Loopy Louise has absolutely no journalistic credibility. Geoffrey - by reason of longevity if nothing else - had some residual clout. But that he too is immersed in the BBC mess erodes that ever-diminishing quality yet further.
I am told that the Torygraph has recently increased its prices by 20%. I am extremely pleased that I am saving even more money in my resolve not to buy it again unless and until a decently impartial 'Environment Correspondent' is appointed in place of the Loopy Lou and Geoff show. Maybe Geoffrey wll do the decent thing and resign.
And maybe those nice guys at Porcine Aviation will soon achieve their inaugural flight :-)
Isn't former Environment Minister Eliot Morley now a free man after only spending 1/4 of his 16month prison term at Her Majesty's pleasure? 4months in prison for stealing £30,000 from us taxpayers!! It's no wonder crime pays (after all, £30,000 was also tax-free). A tax free income of £90,000 per year is not to be sneezed at.
Nov 19, 2011 at 9:14 AM | Latimer Alder
Steady Latimer! I still go to Louise's cut and pastes, it such fun reading the comments under her efforts. Same goes for Lean really.
The thing is, whilst we (in forums like here) can see that these kinds of conflicts of interest hopelessly skew the BBC's coverage of environmental matters, I don't think this will cause widespread outrage outside of the sceptical blogosphere. Many will just shrug. They just won't see that WWF et al have an agenda in the way that (as they would make the distinction) commercial companies do.
A WWF spokesman was on Farming Today This Week (this morning). He was bangign on about the dry summer we have had in the centre and east of England and how farmers in the future are going to have to adapt to drier summers brought about by climate change. There was no mention of how beneficial the longer growing season and enhanced carbon dioxide fertilisation would be to farmers.
But living on their past, from the days when they actually cared about animals or birds or the countryside or rain forests instead of using these things as a means to an end which only a very tiny minority support, people cannot see through the facade or are reluctant to belive that it is only a facade.
Long after the scientists have either owned up or crept away into hiding, this lot will still be out there trying to sell you the simple life. All that may have changed is the fundamental lies and half-truths that they build their case on.
Wouldn't it be nice if the British public could get together and pay a fee so investigative journalist could fully investigate and report these things and curb corruption and misguided ideology, perhaps if we didn't subscribe we could be jailed, this is the way forward i think.