More Media Criticism
Andrew Sullivan has been chronicling the pro-Saddam bias of the BBC. Today, he explains why it matters. In short, it's because Iraqis listen to the BBC, and they are being told by the BBC that the allies aren't winning.

My harping on this theme is not simply media criticism. It's war analysis. Remember one of the key elements, we're finding out, in this battle is the willingness of the Iraqi people to stand up to the Saddamite remnants. That willingness depends, in part, on their confidence that the allies are making progress. What the BBC is able to do, by broadcasting directly to these people, is to keep the Iraqi people's morale as far down as possible, thereby helping to make the war more bloody, thereby helping discredit it in retrospect. If you assume that almost all these reporters and editors are anti-war, this BBC strategy makes sense. They're a military player. And they are objectively pro-Saddam.

Sullivan is right - the Beeb's coverage has been atrociously slanted against the U.S. as even a BBC reporter in Qatar said in a leaked email Sullivan reports on here. Unfortunately, the allies can't bomb the Beeb.