Censorship or sensitivity?
This from The Guardian whose positive and fraternal attitude to the BBC is not often in evidence. But it is interesting that they should choose to cancel this particular work, as are the reasons they give for it. Is this proper sensitivity, or hypersensitivity? And are they more aware of the issues because it’s one of their own people?
BBC accused of censorship after cancelling short story broadcast
The author Hanif Kureishi accused the BBC of censorship last night, after it dropped a radio broadcast of his short story describing the work of a cameraman who films the executions of western captives in Iraq.
Radio 4 cancelled a reading of Weddings and Beheadings, one of five nominations for the National Short Story prize due to be broadcast this week, after concluding the timing “would not be right” following unconfirmed reports that kidnapped BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston had been killed by a jihadist group.
Kureishi, whose work includes The Buddha of Surburbia, Intimacy and the screenplay for the film My Beautiful Launderette, said he was angry at the decision, which he described as a result of “stupid thinking” on the part of BBC executives. Read on here…