Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Racism-BBC replies

The BBC's editor site has reacted to the story that the ANC accused the corporation of being racist.

The organisation's claims followed a report by John Humphries who reported on the escalating crime rate in the country and its battles to stop the violent crime.

The BBC was refered to as"the most die-hard racists in our country".

Jon Williams,the BBC's world news editor replies that Simpson's report was taken out of context

"Curiously the article says we didn't mention urban renewal or real estate
investment, instead choosing to focus on the country's 50 murders a day.

But a few months ago, following the World Cup in Germany, Africa
Correspondent Orla Guerin reported on the economic growth taking place ahead of
the 2010 tournament, to be held in South Africa. Her colleague Peter Biles
recently reported on Johannesburg's inner-city regeneration for "Africa Works"
for the BBC World Service - the clue is in the title; it was a landmark series
reflecting the successes of the continent.
John Simpson and his team spent
five days gathering material in Johannesburg and Soweto. In the opening lines of
his report, John Simpson made clear that the modern South Africa is a thriving
optimistic society; he used the findings of opinion polls which suggest that
despite the high levels of crime and AIDS, there's optimism that the problems
can be solved; he filmed at a Soweto school where pupils are ambitious and
optimistic, despite the problems they face. The opening lines of his piece say
that some of the gleaming skyscrapers in downtown Johannesburg were empty. "

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