³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

I don't dispute the public interest defence for entering Burma without permission - but what about the consequences? It is indeed irresponsible of the junta to devote resources to deporting a journalist. However, it is both typical and expected behaviour for them, as the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ well know.

Does the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ shoulder part of the blame for any obstruction of the relief effort arising from these actions, or does it prefer to hide behind the moral simplification of blaming the decisions of an incompetent regime?

Well, it'd be good if you could get someone else in. Reporters having personal access is important in such a situation to see the human-scale impact of the disaster.

You're kind of setting yourself up for a hard time from the anti-³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ crowd with your last line...

stwl2006: I'd say the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ can justify it by saying "By providing the public with a better view of the scale of the disaster, the good they can do (by donating their money) outweighs the waste of Burma's resources in finding Paul".

It's also arguable that the same people who were finding Paul were going to help with the relief effort. It may have even been a catalyst to getting people to the areas he was covering, where the locals were saying they hadn't seen anyone official.

If this article is an example of the quality of reporting by the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, then I am not surprised that various countries have banned them.

You state "Despite the staggering numbers of dead and injured, the Burmese authorities had diverted significant numbers of people to try and find Paul - resumably, people who otherwise could have been deployed to bolster the aid effort". Do you really believe that all other policing would have stopped so that resource could be diverted to help the victims of the cyclone?

Due to the way that stories are told (reported) by the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, world over, it is not the beacon of impartiality that I had misguidedly come to believe.

Fortunately, I am now able to get real news from the internet, and not spoon-fed views, sorry news...

Cyber_Cohen.

Jon, surely it's a bit rich for you to have a pop at other news organisations for doing the famed "Thai border run"?

Andrew Harding, who I generally respect, must be the world's foremost expert in slipping 50m over the Thai-Burma border and filing a "secret report" from "inside Burma".

It's an old, cheap trick that he's done many, many times.

re: Cyber_Cohen

"If this article is an example of the quality of reporting by the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, then I am not surprised that various countries have banned them."

This is a blog. It is not a news report. Why does a blog need to be impartial?

What I dont understand about all this is what has happened to the reporters objectivity.

Normally objectivity dictates that an attempt is made to explain a situation or story from both sides.

Where is the attempt to explain the motivations of the Burmese government, there are painted naively as monsters and yet they must have motivations and goals however misguided or mal-motivated these appear to us.

The role of NGOs and national governments rendering aid cannot be understood without our media enlightening us to the Burmese governments reservations as to their participation.

Such organisations dont exist in a political vaccum and some of them clearly have been there since the beginning of the crisis with the blessing of the Burmese government whilst some (I get the impression these are the big players more closely linked to our governments) are treated with suspicision, why is this ? The answers to these questions is clearly out there to be found but isnt forthcoming from our medias naive good guy / bad guy treatment of the situation.

Jon,
Maximum respect to Paul for the courage he showed in getting reports out - her's an example to all journalists.
but answer me this; don't you think it was a bit irresponsible to let him do this. What if the SPDC had bumped off or banged him up for years? would you want that on your conscience?
you know what these people are like; any regime that won't hesitate to kill monks by the score (as I believed happened during the last wave of unrest) will not think twice about going in hard on some western journalist.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ news outlets were inconsistent in their attitude to revealing Paul's name in reports. Radio announcers often made great play of not revealing his name, but this wasn't strictly enforced. I did hear him addressed as "Paul" by a 5 Live interviewer during an interview. On the website, his full name was reported.

Just imagine if a reporter from country "A" were to enter the UK on a tourist visa because the UK has banned reporters from a country "A". Imagine the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's and the government's outrage and imagine what would happen to the reporter.

I understand why the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ has entered reporters into Burma illegally, but I question the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's attitude and professionality.

Just imagine if a reporter from country "A" were to enter the UK on a tourist visa because the UK has banned reporters from a country "A". Imagine the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's and the government's outrage and imagine what would happen to the reporter.

I understand why the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ has entered reporters into Burma illegally, but I question the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's attitude and professionality.

Quote 1: "However, I believe there were - and are - genuine public interest reasons for us entering Burma without permission."
- I noticed that it’s "withOUT permission" what if people do the same to the UK?

Quote 2: "...But don't believe everything you see on television! ... The truth is not always as it appears."
- Funny that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ editor should say this, hmm, very interesting, isn't that you normal practice?

Was this authorised by the Foreign Office? How many other times has the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ broken laws?

Sovereign nations have the right to ban anybody they wish to from their territory and it is hugely irresponsible of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ to not only break the laws of other countries but to repeatedly crow about it's patronising, post-imperialist disregard for them.
Being British in the 21st century is a piece of luck in many ways but does carry certain embarassments; the childish exploits of the pathetic John Simpson and his young acolytes are one of the most irritating.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is supposed to be impartial but all the coverage I've heard appears to oppose the Burmese government. I've heard not one person speak in favour of the regime on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. Clearly the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is biassed.

I think the Burmese government is daft if it doesn't realise that once deported, journalists can reenter the country. It should imprison journalists who break the law instead. Journalists shouldn't be above the law of any country.

@majesticsproggo

As the UK and others(?) do not recognise the burmese junta surely it isn't a "soveriegn" nation?

In addition to the irresponsible way in which the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ reporter caused manpower to be diverted from the areas in which it was really needed, I would also call into question the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's motives in being there in the first place. Do they have a genuine desire to help the people of Burma or are these reporters just looking for a way to make a name for themselves by filing that "killer" report?

The usual misanthropic comments from people who don't probably even know where Burma is. Reporting anonymously from a country is not a good way to make your name known to millions. And the ridiculous argument that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ were breaking the rules of a sovereign country - as others have pointed out, nobody recognises the junta a the legitimate government. Look up "Aung Sang Suu Kyi".

wns_195 wrote:

"The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is supposed to be impartial but all the coverage I've heard appears to oppose the Burmese government. I've heard not one person speak in favour of the regime on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. Clearly the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is biassed. "

why is a news agency required to speak favourably about an illigitimate regime that opens fire on its own people and lets millions slowly starve while it holds some phoney plebiscite? the reason the press don't shower the regime in praise is because they have a history of being murdering tyrants, and have put millions of lives at risk by refusing to open their borders to aid. there's not many nice things you can say about that.

I am quite disappointed at the anti-³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ tone this of all things has inspired. Many criticisms of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ state that they're too left wing and too friendly to anyone that doesn't like the US. Both here and in Zimbabwe we see the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ getting out the horror stories for the world to see and to know, and it's just more casual 'bias'?

For those who suggest journalists should be locked up, I should remind you that the freedom of the press is vital. What is happening in Burma is unconscionable and the Burmese government is flagrantly playing politics here. I applaud the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ for doing what many of my homeland's networks are too afraid to do. Here in America you won't find many people risking their lives to report on the sinister forces we can't see, or what those in power want to hide from us- especially when it's abroad.

The press must be fair, but that does not obviate the asking of tough questions. The press is not supposed to take talking points from goverment. Ours or anyone else's. They can report what a government has to say, but they must also show the truth if it is divergent. Yet there are a whole bunch of people who are slamming the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ for daring to inconvenience the Burmese junta? I really thought I'd seen it all.

Britons should be proud of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. Even as an American, I know I am.

@themagicmonkey

Please don't make assumptions about people you don't know. I happen to be perfectly well aware of where Myanmar is and I also know the meaning of "anonymous" as will journalist Paul Danahar.

I am very sorry that the Paul Danahar was deported from Burma.....

hi ..im in Myanmar at the moment, but only in the capital Yangon so can only tell you about that.....things calm here, electricity been back on a couple days, internet working, hotels open tho some destroyed..traffic lights just back on...some parts of city worse than others, in one street near strand road and british embassy huge tree down across houses....frequent floodings because of torrential rain last couple days..boat jetties destroyed in cyclone, airport seemed fine when re-opened last wednesday...i feel kinda guilty that im here when aid workers cant get in, but have tried to help., i probably got in because this was a pre-arranged trip and i got visa some time ago.zoo badly damaged, swedagon temple has some damage but is bein attended to...the capital itself isnt so bad, tho outlying areas havent fared so well....brick buildinds and tower blocks seem to have very little damage.......i hesitated at bangkok airport when the flight i had booked actually ran...it had been rumoured that it would be diverted to mandalay but in actuality it ran as sceduled to yangon....the burmese poeople in the check in queue almost pleaded with us 5 foreign backpackers to come anyway, and im glad i did as people have been happy to see us...besides they need our money....im happy im giving it directly to the people while here so i know exactly where its going.....at my guest house i was the only foreigner until; yesterday......Have seen aid being prepared outside Red cross building in strand road. also teams of guys untangling telephone lines and sawing trees by hand..........i came back past a couple of hours later and saw the same guys still sawing the same huge trees during a torrential violent storm.....only seen one chainsaw since ive been here.
Well i hope some of this helps you build a bit of a picture. Life goes on here.....my guest house owner lady daid that things will soon be back to normal...or as normal as they ever can be here.

It is not unusal for dictators to banish reporters. But what is strange is democratic leaders keeping mum on the happenings.

Perhap now is the time for the people from the free world to free people from burma. I have live under this condition before, and its not easy. The people of Burma want their freedom, but they do not have the power to free themselves. The world cannot rely on China word to let Burma gov to take care of their own people because China government doesn't not believe in Human freedom either.

As evidence through this catastrophy, the people of Burma need the people from the free world to help free them. Where are the monk? ...they have been locked up!

World-watcher, after all the thanks we got from the Iraqis, I don't think we'll be bothering to free anybody else from cruel, repressive dictatorships anytime soon.

Seriously, neither broadcasters nor governments have the right to adventure into other people's countries, unless they pose an external threat. Although the evidence of immediate external threat from Iraq has been exposed as a bizarre shambles, nonetheless Saddam Hussein's threat had been clearly demonstrated to Kuwait and Iran so a credible case for intervention could be made.

In contrast, the extraordinary and baffling determination of the Burmese 'government' to destroy it's own country carries no external threat, not at the moment anyway. Same problem wth Zimbabwe.

The costs and complications of adventuring into other countries' affairs are always tragically underestimated, and animal trainers know the ineffectiveness of shouting and waving sticks in modifying behaviour. You need to demonstrate and clearly communicate the required behaviour and reward it generously when it occurs.

Unfortunately in the free countries we are useless at communicating consistently and clearly with these regimes (we shout at them so they feel threatened, then we sell them weapons - nice business!) and we are not always so hot at demonstrating the highest standards of governance ourselves (hurricane Katrina???)

I'm fully in favour of your efforts to report the very serious events from Myanmar.

Would you be able to enter more of these countries if your reporting was less partial?

In Iraq/Afghanistan the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ reports a very neutral message about the taleban/AQ - we have 'an increase in clashes between militants and coalition forces' not 'an offensive by government forces to remove illegal militias from Basrah.'

Taleban/AQ/Mehdi are equal to forces of an elected government in your reporting: there is no moral judgement.

Yet in Myanmar you seem to be willing to take a moral position with the military junta being the bad guys. As you do with Zimbabwe (how come you don't call that Rhodesia?) or Israel.

Perhaps if your reporting was less campaigning - and the government did not see you as hostile to them - you might be able to enter these places openly.

It is perfectly acceptable for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ to infiltrate Burma in an attempt to support our need for information and our rights to a free press. As commented before, the junta in Burma have not been properly democratically elected and this means that we do not have to respect their wishes in any way.

Some of the posts on this blog are very disconcerting to me as they seem to be more in favour of the Burmese junta than the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. This view in my opinion is anti English, so please, for a change, stop looking to criticise the way we do things in England and start looking at the real issue which is a cruel dictatorship who will not allow foreign aid workers into their country, probably because they do not want the free world to see how appallingly they treat their own people.

Burma seems the been the worlds hidden secret at the moment, the government is getting accused of lying about the deaths that actually got caused by the cyclone, and people are now saying the people actually got killed for protesting and that they are hidding the deaths with a natural disaster. I feel happy that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is trying to give us everything they can, and for Burma not to let any reporters in raises the suspicion that something else is happening, i just hope one day that we will all agree on something; and help anyone that needs to be helped.


- Hamish Myers

Jon Williams:
It is true that in most cases in dictatorships; The media is usually the first agents who will get the boot out of the country!

It is sad, that the journalists who were with the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ get, the deportation orders against them....

~Dennis Junior~