Another outrage perpetrated by the BBC: BBC’s Newsround fed youngsters Al Qaeda propaganda, claims ex-spy chief.

Britain’s former spy chief accused the BBC of “parroting” Al Qaeda propaganda to children as young as six.

Dame Pauline Neville Jones, who is also a former BBC governor, is infuriated at the stance the corporation’s Newsround programme took on the September 11 attacks. She accused the flagship children’s news bulletin of feeding an “ugly undercurrent” which suggests the terrorist outrage was somehow justifiable.

Newsround is aimed at viewers aged between six and 12.

On its website it answered the question concerning 9/11, “Why did they do it” by saying: “The way America has got involved in conflicts in regions like the Middle East has made some people very angry, including a group called al Qaeda - who are widely thought to have been behind the attacks.”

After the public complained, the text was amended. It now reads: “Al Qaeda is unhappy with America and other countries getting involved in places like the Middle East. People linked to al Qaeda have used violence to make this point in the U.S.A, and in other countries.”

Dame Pauline, who headed the Government’s Joint Intelligence Committee and is described as the most formidable female diplomat Britain has produced, said the new version was even worse. “It still says it’s all America’s fault, and now for daring to be involved in the Middle East at all,” she said.

“It wasn’t ‘people linked to’ al Qaeda who killed 3,000 people that day, it was al Qaeda itself. Osama bin Laden even boasted of the attacks. Is the BBC really saying that if you’re ‘unhappy’ it’s quite normal behaviour to murder people? [Yes, that’s exactly what they’re saying; it’s the same rationale they use to excuse Palestinian terrorism. – ed.]

“Is the BBC so naive as to take al Qaeda’s propaganda at face value? Or is there something more sinister at work here?“

Very good question. I suspect the latter.

(Hat tip: Wishbone.)

UPDATE at 9/28/07 6:57:47 pm:

Also see:
Biased BBC: The BBC apology that is anything but an apology