大象传媒

Monday - the ex-jihadist Butt (not arrested despite recruiting 200 Brits to fight for the Taliban) and last night Maher who suddenly remembered 3 years later that he had met Bilal Abdulla who was a dodgy guy - why had Maher not gone to the authorities if he thought Abdulla was such a dodgy guy? These ex-jihadists have no principles - instead of going to the authorities they all go to Richard Watson (heir to Sherlock Holmes and all that)

Last November, HuT were mugging old ladies according to Richard Watson and even blowing up synagogues (later proven to be a load of rubbish)

Can't wait for tonight's show!

It seems unfair to attack mr brown on his first QT in westminister.
BUT I have only been in job few days
is not what we want to hear !

SAD start but hopefully he improves
or we are doomed...to failure.

Maybe a course in "PUBLIC SPEAKING"
"HUMAN RELATIONS"would help.

In embarrassment !

Really surprised how inept ( being generous) Gordon Brown was at PMQs .
In total contrast , Dave Cameron asked substantive questions in a commanding manner of a seasoned parliamentarian.
A very good day for the Tories & a big morale bounce in the ranks.

How do you make the bad guys look like the good guys turning the black hats into the white hats? How does the Jolly Roger get a makeover to look like the Good Ship Lollipop? How does a group whom not only the US government but even the EU calls terrorists get to look like heroes coming to the rescue of someone in dire trouble. Simple, set up a bogus organization to kidnap someone a lot of people like because he is their advocate propagandist, make believe they are holding him for an impossible ransom, convince everyone that his life is in grave peril, and then when all hope is practically gone and at the most advantageous moment, pretend you have rescued him and returned him to the bosom of his worried family, his collegues, and his nation to tell his harrowing story. With the average citizen of the world having slightly less political savvy than a potted plant, most people will buy this farce. I'm not among them. He was an advocate, a self admitted friend of those he reported on to begin with. I find it impossible to believe that in the most densely crowded place on earth, with a face that sticks out from the locals like a sore thumb, someone wouldn't have recognized him and there wouldn't have been crowds of protestors surrounding them unless the entire play had been very carefully orchestrated and those in charge would not allow anyone outside their group to get anywhere near him. Alan Johnston's life was never in any danger right from the moment of his kidnapping to the moment of his release. In fact it was all they could do to frighten him into thinking it was in danger without actually running the risk of hurting him. And how has the "victim" in all of this reacted? By saying that the group which kidnapped him is an anomoly...while the perpetrators continue firing rockets, planning suicide bombings, and calling for the destruction of Israel after a ten year cease fire so that they have time to regroup. The Palestinian Taleban has demonstrated that only it can create order from the chaos under corrupt Fatah. Now who is for resuming sending these fine fellows hundreds of millions of dollars in aid?

The 1st thing I saw when I turned on my telly was the newly freed Alan on 大象传媒. It was a grand sight for me. I, like many others, signed 大象传媒's petition to Alan's captors to free Alan; this is the 1st time that I can recall when I could feel that putting my signature on a petition did any good.
Mr Brown's statement of thanks for Alan's freedom was most diplomatic. I took Mr Brown's words to be the start of his campaign to be elected to his position. You in the UK are going to have an interesting campaign & election.

Terror organisations such as Hizb ut Tahrir can demand murdering Jews wherever they see them, but the British government remains silent. They could demand to kill Christians too, and the silence would remain. However, just let UK citizens demand that moslem extremists be controlled, then the whole liberal establishment will be out in full force, with their shrill cries of perceived prejudice

If the 大象传媒 - through Newsnight - is so concerned about the Cocoa industry; has it declared itself to be a Fairtrade organisation? Do its vending machines stock only Fairtrade products? Do the restaurants serve Fairtrade produce where possible?

How wonderful to see the school children on Newsnight giving the incredibly patronising chocolate industry woman a tough time.

Proof that children can get to grips with ethical issues quickly and can play their part in making fair trade the norm.

I was cringing at the performance from that uber-patronising woman representing the chocolate companies. I can't decide whether the fact that a bunch of prepubescent schoolkids had her squirming like an eel in a oil slick was indicative of the weakness of her case or of her total lack of debating skills.

those children should have stood up and walked out on that exceptionally ignorant and patronising mouth piece of the chocolate industry.it is quiet a while sense i have felt so angry watching an interview on newsnight ( I guess complacency and a feeling of here we go again have taken over) that woman was unbelievable in her attitude. she must have been under the impression that this was just going to be screened on newsround so felt she could treat the whole disgusting and morally wrong issues with such a flippant attitude. But i expect this will come back on her as every teacher shoul insure there pupils see this item and see the reality of the global economy and where prioraties lie, and how low down the tottem pole children come as far as business is concerned

..it's complex...and it's difficult.

Thanks very much Penny Hawley. Maybe spend less time patronising children and more time getting your industry in order. FAIR PRICE FOR COCOA GROWERS. NOW.

The lady from the cake/chocolate association did an incredibly poor job of justifying exploitation. The dominant market players will only change if the consumers demand it. Fairtrade is a good model for building a critical mass of consumers to become a market sector. It is an idea whose time has come. Just look at the growing shelf space given to Fairtrade ground coffee. As for the price differential, in coffee it has decreased with increased competition between Fairtrade brands and is now not a significant factor in my shopping decision.

I have just sent the following to Cadburys. The more of us who do this to support the children both in the UK and in Africa, the more chance the companies might listen.

"I am a Cadburys addict - not a chocolate addict - Cadburys only for me. Until I happened on tonight's Newsnight. I reckon I contribute at least 拢5 a week to your revenue. That's 10 times the difference between the price you pay for a kilo of cocoa and the price you should pay. Until you get a Fair Trade certification you can do without my 拢250 a year."

Dear Newsnight

fascinating to watch the young people speaking to the Chocolate manufacturers rep. Any chance of reconvening the panel and asking a director of one of the companys to sit in the hot seat?
or you might invite a government minister what about Lord Digby Jones,cbi, goverment...

and in PR terms a pair of wellington boots might have been a good move for Prince Charles, the benny hill music was a bit unfair, I greatly admire him, the best Royal

best wishes
Bob

Congratulations to the pupils of Gallion School for their mature and eloquent questioning of the BCCA rep. They were not about to be 'fobbed off' by her repetitive answers and somewhat patronising attitude. They are a credit to their school and their families. Well done!

Congratulations to Humphrey Hawkesley and children of Gallions School. A tragic but heart warming story of child power fighting child poverty. Excellent questions asked by school children but alas not answered in a straight fashion. Why can't the chocolate manufacturers' pay more for their cocoa? This was an issue in 2001 and such slow progress has been made while PR machines and price rises work far more rapidly.
Please keep up the pressure Newsnight. May this excellent report and compassionate response mkae day news as well.

I have just watched the children 'grill' the woman representing the chocolate industry. It was such a pleasure to watch these children tie this patronising woman in knots. She didn't convince them and for sure I'm sure she didn't convince me. I shall not in future buy any chocolate other than Free Trade. Those children did such an outstanding job.

Whoever this woman was - and I had never heard of her, nor her organisation, I hope never to have to listen to her waffle and obfuscation ever again.

The problem of children working in cocoa farms is much more complex than simply paying the farmers more for the cocoa they produce.
To many families who produce cocoa in Ghana, the cocoa is just a part of what they do. They also have a small-scale farm from which they get their foodstuffs.
In rural communities where the cocoa is produced, usually there are no "white coller" job opportunities and almost by definition no higher aspirations. The children grow up not seeing anything from education so they generally don't take education that serious. Ofcourse anything to take them away from the hard labour would help but if education demands more serious work from them they would turn their back onto it.
To radically change the lives of such individuals there should be substantial investment into cocoa producing communities. One way to start would be for the Western Chocolate industries to build procession plants in West Africa. This would provide jobs for such communities and something to aim for. Money thus generated from such processing plants could be spent to provide basic facilities for such communities, and agian provide jobs for many. But we know very well this would never happen.
As it stands, if the farmers are paid more, then they could increase their production and afford to pay whole families to look after their cocoa farms so more children would be needed to maintain production.
Africa is not like UK where every child is registered from birth, so to trace an individual child is a task.
So long as the most important action is overlooked, this campaign and "Fair Trade" would end no where.
I lived in a cocoa producing community and know how things are done. "Fair trade" money would not filter through to the farmers even though we would see pictures of "cocoa farmers" who supposedly have been helped!

Alan Johnson was "freed" by Hamas. Does that mean he was held by supporters of the Fatah movement?
This is confusing, could someone explain please? Who are the bad guys in Gaza, Fatah or Hamas?

Those children boycotting chocolate put us all to shame. That woman, the chocolate queen for want of a better title, was so patronising to them but they saw through her I think. They were totally on the ball and coherent while she fumbled her nonsensical excuses. It's quite simple, the chocolate companies must pay a proper rate for each kg of chocolate. Just pay it! Slavery is the greatest evil and it's happening all over the third world so that people in the rich western countries can pursue their goals of personal happiness and "must have" no matter who suffers in the getting of it. This family has now stopped eating chocolate.

Agree with G. Vaughan, also todays newsnight ..... what a load of rubbish on the Politics of Terror. I know a few HuT people and they not like that! What has come of the newsnight team and reporting facts? their is a saying "fear prevents strangers from becoming friends" all this media lies and demonisation of a people is dividing people rather than bringing them closer! and not here in britain but also throughout the world!

Newsnight are a crazy bunch as they clearly desire that Hizb ut Tharir should get banned. However, if that were to happen how on earth would they ever complete a whole episode of the programme given that for three consecutive nights Hizb-ut Tharir has been mentioned and their former members or supporters have featured in the programmes. Surely, there is more to the news then an organisation who鈥檚 name most in this country can鈥檛 pronounce let alone remember with the exception of Mr Watson who appears to be on a personal crusade against the organisation.

we the chocolate guzzling public should boycott the manufacturers until they do the simple thing and increase the price they pay for the cocoa. Our government should bring pressure to bear on the companies. We should not pretend that we dont know and are not responsible for, what happens. While we enjoy our trivial indulgences children's lives are despoiled by slavery

I watched the performance (and that's what is was!) by Libby Horley of the Biscuit and chocloate manufacturers representative body with disgust. I have rarely seen such an insincere, patronising and disgraceful speaker.

The children have done a wonderful job is raising awareness. Horley was unwilling to answer their concerns, prefering instead to sidestep and wax on about 'working with partners'. It's a pity she didn't consider the children as partners - they will become a powerful lobby.

I, for one, have just stopped eating chocolate. My three children are of the same view.

It's time the chocolate industry acted with integrity as opposed to greed.

So Newsnight are, apparently, demonizing Hizb-ut-Tahrir, are they? Hmmm, okay then...

...then how do you explain away the Conservative Party's position they should be proscribed (a position the current Government took a couple of years ago despite not following through)? Are they both wrong? If they are, explain clearly and fully *why* they are.

The woman from the chocolate industry representative body was patronising because those kids and newsnights coverage was a load of sentimentally retarded bunkum.

Before I carry on, please explain how kids those age would have seen a story that would have went out after 11pm -couldn't possibly be ideological left-wing teacher could it!

Shame on the 大象传媒 for not understanding the concepts of government that it exists within, you know one that's meant to be based on intelligence and capitalism/supply and demand.

Where was the mention of those annoying things called government -who are actually responsible for what happens within their states and the standards they maintain; yet if these companies were to dictate how things were done, then the anti-capitalist sentimental ignorants would still bash the companies for not doing what they want, or over-doing.

Do the now suddenly anti-normal chocolate-eaters, think that an iota of difference would occur if the retail price of chocolate went up? No what would happen is that the worker at the end of the line would just work harder for more, that's after the local middle-men have their cut (inc. the govt.'s).
Alternatively -and this doesn't require advanced education, as trade has been going on for millenia- these traders could exercise the concept of supply and demand for a product that is a commodity, as well as, as various dairy-farmers and the like have done, and create co-operative supply-groups; but then as also has happened, they might decide to get greedy and sell those ventures off for themelves and not give a toss about those who follow.

The white mind has decomposed so much, so emotional and impulsive/impatient, that it needs everything NOW, the way it wants it -forgetting that less than a 100 years ago, 9 year olds were chimney-sweeping, and the rest; and this was all after centuries of stable established government -but africa (and other poor) should have this now, because we want them to, in our way, without them having their own routes and journeys to their own progress.

And how much of this is white-mans guilt.

There is so much more, but when you're a newsnight viewer, you're meant to be intelligent, and the cleverer minds that work on newsnight are meant to be even more intelligent, pluralistic, and give us the sophisticated details -not indulge in childish propaganda!

***
Will the editor of this blog/n.n. actaully answer any of the blog posts/comments from this week.
***

Best wishes,

Rabbit

The children of Gallions school did an excellent job when putting their questions to the representative of the chocolate industry. Their well prepared approach was also a credit to their school.
In response, the spokesperson for the chocolate industry demonstrated exactly the patronising manner (combined with greed) that allows slavery to continue in this day and age.
I hope that the 大象传媒 can find time to give this issue more coverage. In the meantime- I am another who will now only buy fairtrade chocolate.

Is Newsnight the new Blue Peter?

Here we go through the round window...

Why does the 大象传媒 persist in seeking Azzam Tamimi's opinion?

In the following speech, delivered at a London rally, he can be heard expressing approval of the "great jihad of Hamas and Islamic jihad".

I hope Jeremy will be waving his flag tonight...

While it may be nice for Johnston and his family personally, considering that he intends to escape into obscurity I don't see what difference his release makes. On the other hand, fifteen Royal Marines who were released after having been kidnapped by Iran presumably went back to defending the British nation (insofar as this is possible given the pathetic support they got from their fellow troops and their government to protect and rescue them.) But for them, people who actually do make a difference, there was hardly any such hoopla. Not only is 大象传媒 screwed up in its priorities and what it values, so is much of the British nation.

I, like many others, have celebrated the freedom of Alan Johnstone today (now yesterday). I toasted his returning voice sitting at the window of my North London flat with my coffee mug raised triumphantly. And, then, I wondered, why had this news brought me - sat in Kentish Town and as much to do with Gaza as I do with Alan Johnstone - so great a pleasure? Why had my usual pre-caffeinated stumble turned to a happy gambol?

Perhaps, it is because, in his person, Alan Johnstone has a brutally honest air - balanced by a verbal grace - that marks him out as valuable - a gift to be cherished, a communicator to be listened to.
Perhaps, it is a simple human value of freedom that has been affirmed in the fact of his release.
Perhaps, it is because, in the current situation, any concorde between the Middle and a representative is a welcome relief from the usual confrontational narrative.

However, aside from my personal reasons - the media (in particular, the 大象传媒) have worked hard. Their success in attracting attention, concern, and petition signing has now, with this successful outcome, transferred an alleviating catharsis to those who took part. Much has been made of the media campaign and - as is so often the way in places like Gaza, there has been very little examination of the most immediate protagonists in the deal that saved the life of Alan Johnstone. This is, perhaps, understandable: the moment of release is hardly the time to congratulate the captors of the past. However, the moment of release has now gone and we have moved into a second stage: the analysis stage. The successful media is now examining its success; looking to see where it went right; examining its sharpened tools; and looking to future situations where its success could be recreated. The problem is that analysis of this kind quickly leads the original exultation to self-congratulatory meaningless: how did we do it, the media asks itself? Why were we successful when in other times we haven鈥榯?

The important point is, I believe, to forget about the reaction the media coverage has elicited from me (among many); to disregard the signatures on petitions; to collapse the notion that a demonstration in London has the slightest effect on Gaza city: the only way to do this is to look at the actual events and circumstances relevant to the most powerful protagonists in the entire saga - the captors. Whilst the media message continues to exclude Hamas and the Army of Islam from a part in the success story, the seeds of failure are already in propagation.

The values of Alan Johnston as a journalist are not absolutely representative of the British media: the freedom of Alan Johnston concerns a unity - aspiring to truth - between him, as an individual, and the men who held him. Alan Johnston was the slave to the Army of Islam while they were the master of his circumstance; he was captive to their will. This is, many will agree, the basis of confrontations across the globe - a peaceful resolution, such as has occurred in the case of Alan Johnston, is, on the other hand, a rarity.

Palestinian journalists and individual Palestinians took to the streets proclaiming, 鈥渉e is one of us鈥� - Alan Johnston is part of our humanity, and he deserves to live as much as any of us. Hamas, a group who deny above anything else that the Judeo-Christian tradition is not part of their identity, agreed. So, in the end, did the Army of Islam - albeit surrounded by men with guns.
To identify yourself with the other (like Alan Johnston is), as Palestinians did, is a rarity - not just in Baghdad, Gaza and Helmand province but in London, Birmingham and East Anglia.
And they did so in response to the stance of Alan Johnston - they saw in him a man dedicated to the truth, whose difference in ethnicity and tradition obscured none of his humanity: 鈥渙ne of us鈥�.

The British media retains an aggressive stance to the other when it celebrates the freedom of 鈥渙ne of us鈥� and claims that it saved him from 鈥渙ne of them鈥� - it denies the facts of a situation and it contributes to the problems for those who seek liberty through this denial. Although, not in its entirety, the media is regularly guilty of an 鈥渦s鈥� and 鈥渢hem鈥� mentality: in this case, it needs to learn from the captors the ability to change.

In the meantime, it is enough to know that, even in the heat and drama of Gaza City, there still appears a human space in which two protagonists can agree to see each other in themselves and part ways without blood being spilt.

It was good to some coverage on the disgraceful and sickening attitude of the chocolate industry last night. The children of Gallions school did a great job of putting Libby Horley on the spot, what a patronising and pathetic attempt she made to justify the world market price of cocoa, 'difficult and complicated', 'working with partners', all just side stepping nonsense! I did however think it was unforgivable that the 大象传媒 did not include a list of chocolate brands that people can buy that are fairly traded e.g. Divine and Traidcraft. Don't give up eating chocolate - Just make sure it's FAIRTRADE! There loads of ethical, fairtrade shops and websites where people can buy these products now, why don't the 大象传媒 report on this growning movement toward ethical consumerism?

Shocking nonsense about the cocoa.

For example, it has been repeatedly stated that Cadburys have 'known about the problem since 2001', with Cadburys confessing that they have been 'slow to act'. Additionally, and more perniciously, reference is constantly made to the supposed irony of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.

Cadburys have known about such problems for a lot longer than six years. To quote from one of the greatest Englishmen, ED Morel, "In 1901 and 1902 sinister rumours first reached the Cadbury Brothers about the way labour was procured". (Black Man's Burden, 1920, Pg 151). Investigations by Cadburys and reports by Burtt and Nevinson followed in 1905 and 1906, concluding the existence of widespread slavery. It was scandal at the time.

Morel wrote "it seems strange at first sight that public attention in Europe was not directed earlier to this scandal". It is attractive for anyone wishing to emphasize the point that these events should be almost exactly 100 years ago, and bisect precisely the supposed bicentennial of freedom.

Morel quotes his friend Casement: "Africa is the last refuge of unfettered capitalism". Whether or not Africa is or was the last refuge, it is unfettered capitalism that is the problem, not the absence of goodwill or the existence of moral fault. (Neither the morality of this matter nor the perception of it has changed from 1807 to 1907 to 2007).

The Atlantic slave trade, whose abolition is supposed to be such a moral triumph for Britain and Europe, is quantifiably a mere prelude to the colonialism whose effects haunt Africa. The tendency to talk of 1807 and 2007, but not 1907, is a (presumably) unwitting but gross misrepresentation as it misplaces the highwater mark of rapacious European imperialism in Africa by at least 100 years, putting it in a time when we can imagine morality was different. This was just as false in 1807 as 1907 (Clarkson's achievement in the 1780s-90s was to expose FACTS in the face of a propaganda campaign, not change ethical views), but 1807 is so conveniently long ago.

I can't believe the attitude of the woman representing the cholocate companies.

I don't think I've ever seen such a rude, patronising and annoying interviewee.

The interview of the chocolate industry's patronising spokesperson by the children of Gallions School deserves a wider audience and should be shown again before the 9pm watershed. Chocolate eaters need to be made aware that they are funding child slavery. These children's principled stand for human rights was most impressive.

what is 大象传媒 evolving into. I have never seen such junk of a news in my life before. 大象传媒 should stop patronising people with their dramatised, scare mongering crusade against groups and individuals without providing any substancial evidence. Not only it is becoming like the tabloid media, earning people's trust will be hard. Do not underestimarte people's intellenge.

getting bored of the watson-maher partnership. its time they both ended thieir baseless crusade against HuT. They bring no evidence and i think the world has bigger problems to deal with.

A previous post pointed out (though less than graciously) that it was probably the work of a teacher to bring the chocolate fair-trade issue to the children of Gallions School. Surely, yes. And what a good teacher (s)he was, to get the children motivated to be concerned with what is happening in the world, follow through with the play they worked together in, and ensure that the children could all feel they had taken part in something very worth while. While there are teachers like that in our schools, we can be proud of our education system.

Thanks to AM2 from Glasgow for the Azzam Tamimi alert. Never mind his hate rally speeches on YouTube, what about his notorious 大象传媒 HARDtalk interview in 2004 or his previous Newsnight appearance in 2005 (which received many complaints):

On the basis of this interview alone, Tamimi should have been arrested. Will the government and police ever act? Not until Tamimi can be directly linked with people being killed here in the UK - Remember that the sermons that Abu Hamza was jailed for 7 years over were made over 10 years ago, but he only got put on trial after 7th July 2005.

A friend who watched Wednesday night's Newsnight tells me how Tamimi referred to HAMAS as "we" before quickly correcting himself!

So much for HAMAS being shunned as a terrorist organisation:

The British government knowingly tolerates one of their top publicists as a resident here in the UK and now Gordon Brown is thanking them in Parliament.

Arabic speakers should also check out Tamimi's article for the London based Arabic newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi from 29th August 2005.

Then for 'light' relief there's Tamimi telling American NBC viewers that the various UK bomb plots (for which several people have now been convicted with plentiful evidence including dramatic CCTV footage) were all just a hoax:

Azzam Tamimi - coming soon to a university Islamic society or theology department near you!

This guy should be imprisoned for inciting Muslims to commit acts of terrorism and then forcibly repatriated to either Kuwait or Jordan (since he was born a Jordanian citizen, but his family wisely moved to Kuwait in 1964 after the PLO was founded). Or maybe he should serve his prison sentence in one of those countries as well? I'm sure they'd both be very welcoming to HAMAS propagandists.

To close the bulletin it was decided to show Prince Charles in rubber inflatable touring the flood stricken area of Sheffield, to the "Benny Hill" theme. Did anyone else find this tasteless? 30,000 people are homeless in the North of England because of these floods and all the London "journos" can do is make fun of the situation. If ever Islington is under 2' of water, don't expect any sympathy from me!
I also remember that after the devastation a couple of years ago of New Orleans due to flooding, the 大象传媒 and Newsnight in particular led some very self-righteous criticism of George Bush in not touring the affected areas. I note of no similar criticism of Gordon Brown. I wonder why the left-leaning 大象传媒 have chose not to do this?

I have just recieved an email from Cadbury to say that there is no evidence that child slave labour is used in cocoa production. Did I imagine the report on Newsnight and that boy with the gash on his leg?
I unfortunately missed most of the item woth the children interviewing the representative of the industry as my husband talked over most of it. Can we see it again?