Bringing in a Decisive Note, Nicholas Vance gatecrashes the smug assumptions of the Ten O'clock News. I've followed Nicholas for as long as he's been blogging: today was vintage Vance, strong meat for strong minds. Says Nicholas,
' "Controversial" is apparently a code word at the BBC. It means: "we here at the BBC disapprove of this policy but in order to appear impartial we can't overtly say this, so instead we will communicate our displeasure by using the word 'controversial' over and over". '

Says Nicholas,
'Yasser Arafat is quoted saying that President Bush's support for Sharon's disengagement plan will "wreck all hopes of peace".

This, er, "controversial" statement is left to stand without comment by the BBC. '

Asks Nicholas,
'What is more controversial I wonder: a security barrier to stop Palestinian terrorism (my word), or Palestinian terrorism (my word)?'

Asks Nicholas (changing tack slightly),
'Here is another question: If politics is indeed 90 per cent about perception, rather than reality, might not this have something to do with the sort of surreal journalism practised by the BBC?'

And so, powerfully and caustically, on.