Dreadful BBC reporting

[Tony]

I posted this elsewhere, and along with others complained to the BBC about the truly shocking priorities shown in the headline and in the article.
The cyclist involved has since died.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7673420.stm

 

[yello]

I'm not usually piqued by such things, taking them in my stride as a rule, but the slant on that article is unbelievably callous. The poor motorists had to wait... and were

prevented from turning into Regents Park Road

...My lord! It's outrageous! They couldn't turn into Regents Park Road because of the selfish actions of a cyclist getting himself killed.

 

[gratts]

Mad. A couple of miles from where I live.

 

[numbnuts]

It seems that cyclist have become second third class citizens according to the press RIP

.....and I’m hovering like a fly
waiting for the windshield on the freeway

 

[ufkacbln]

The local news report was even worse reporting upon the effect of the hold up on local business - highlighting a firm who had delivery vehicles stuck in the traffic restrictions. Not one of those interviewed stepped outside their little selfish world to express sympathy or concern for the cyclist.


The interesting thing that everyone is missing (deliberately?) is that the driver is charged with GBH!

This is an unusual (and if I am wrong the legal eagles will correct me) but I believe this implies that this requires an "intent to harm" in other words the Police are convinced enough that the motorist intended to injure the cyclist to bring such a charge.....

So if this is the case it should have been a different headline..... Aggressive violent motorist causes traffic chaos - but then again why bother?

 

[CopperBrompton]

A GBH charge sounds to me like the police know it was deliberate, so this doesn't sound like an accident at all, rather murder.

 

[sheddy]

If anyone knows te best way to complain to the BBC please let us all know

 

[CopperBrompton]

Just use the feedback link on the site. I've done it several times, and each time the issue was dealt with very quickly.

 

[yello]

The interesting thing that everyone is missing (deliberately?) is that the driver is charged with GBH!

I saw it but didn't what to assume anything from it... though it might suggest no fault on the part of the cyclist. I found the whole tone of the article sickening offensive regardless of fault, or even who was fatality injured.

 

[ufkacbln]

Someone on the CTC website suggested NewsWatch

 

[gratts]

BBC Complaints


Tick the box saying you require a response..That way you know they've actually read it and have to reply, rather than just tossing it aside.

 

[ufkacbln]

I saw it but didn't what to assume anything from it... though it might suggest no fault on the part of the cyclist. I found the whole tone of the article sickening offensive regardless of fault, or even who was fatality injured.

I agree that apportioning blame is difficult aat such an early stage, and soes not help the outcome, or lessen the trauma for the relatives. Especially when this is compounded I suspect by such heartless and poor reporting.

However my curiosity was piqued by the sentence in the news report so looked up GBH as an offence... and that is where I came up with the discovery that the charge requires "intent" to cause harm, or at least an "Awareness" that your action will cause harm. To actauly charge the driver with this offence at this stage suggests thatthere is strong evience that she intended to injure the cyclist.

It does not make the story or the way it was reported any more palatable, but does raise the question as to why no-one has followed up, especially now as I believe (again if I am wrong- correct me) that if the victim dies a GBH escalates to murder or at best manslaughter.

The reluctance to pick up on this aspect of the incident is at best negligent.

 

[andy_wrx]

Given the standard of reporting in this article, I wouldn't be surprised if the driver had been charged with say Careless Driving but the journo misunderstood and hence 'GBH'...

 

[dodgy]

BBC Complaints


Tick the box saying you require a response..That way you know they've actually read it and have to reply, rather than just tossing it aside.

Thanks, I've done just that.

 

[tdr1nka]

Just added m two pennys worth.

Not one shred of human decency in it.

Appalling journalism, if you could even call it that!