Re: [Swprograms] Guardian Unlimited: BBC reputation hit by Bhopal interview hoax

[John Figliozzi <jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

But not as bad as those poor folks in Bhopal who had their hopes raised 
and then dashed--again.  :-((

John Figliozzi

On Saturday, December 4, 2004, at 12:05  PM, richard@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Richard Cuff spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought 
> you should see it.
>
> -------
> Note from Richard Cuff:
>
> Mr. Byford must have had a rough day on Friday sorting this mess out.
>
> Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA  USA
> -------
>
> To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited 
> site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk
>
> BBC reputation hit by Bhopal interview hoax
> Matt Wells and  Randeep Ramesh in Delhi
> Saturday December 04 2004
> The Guardian
>
>
> The BBC's worldwide reputation for accuracy took a blow yesterday 
> after it broadcast an interview with a hoaxer who claimed to offer a 
> $12bn settlement to the 120,000 surviving victims of the Bhopal 
> disaster.
>
> Hopes were raised in India when the BBC's international news channel, 
> BBC World, interviewed a man identified as a representative of Dow 
> Chemical, which now runs the Bhopal plant after taking over Union 
> Carbide.
>
> He said Dow accepted full responsibility for the world's worst 
> industrial disaster, which has claimed the lives of 20,000 people over 
> the past 20 years, and left many more with chronic health problems.
>
> But it soon emerged that Jude Finisterra was a hoaxer who has targeted 
> Dow Chemical in the past. His interview, which was picked up and 
> reported internationally, was shown twice on BBC World, and on BBC 
> television and radio in Britain, before it was pulled.
>
> "Today I am very, very happy to announce that today, for the first 
> time Dow is accepting full responsibility for the Bhopal catastrophe. 
> This is a momentous occasion," he said in the live interview. In 
> public, the BBC said it had moved "swiftly" to correct the mistake and 
> stressed it had been the victim of an "elaborate" hoax.
>
> It condemned the actions of Mr Finisterra as a "tasteless publicity 
> stunt". But in private, some BBC journalists expressed surprise that 
> the hoax was not identified more quickly: the apology seemed 
> extraordinary because Dow maintains that it has "no responsibility" 
> for Bhopal.
>
> The corporation said a producer on BBC World had been asked to book a 
> representative from Dow for the 20th anniversary of the disaster. He 
> went to the Dow website, and was directed to the media relations 
> section. Email correspondence and phone calls followed, which resulted 
> in yesterday's interview with Mr Finisterra from the corporation's 
> Paris office.
>
> It appears that part of the Dow website had been hijacked in a 
> detailed and carefully planned operation.
>
> The corporation was keen to stress that it was the victim of a stunt. 
> It said in a statement: "This interview was inaccurate, part of an 
> elaborate deception. The person did not represent the company and we 
> want to make clear that the information he gave was entirely 
> inaccurate." Dow confirmed that Mr Finisterra did not work for the 
> company.
>
> The incident raises the issue of internet security, and the BBC said 
> its procedures regarding the trustworthiness of information obtained 
> from websites would be reviewed.
>
> Mr Finisterra later told The World at One on Radio 4 that he was part 
> of Yes Men group, which hoaxes businesses and governments."I was 
> speaking on behalf of Dow in a certain way. I was expressing what they 
> should express."
>
> He added that he had heard Bhopal residents had broken down in tears 
> when they learned of the report, and he felt bad about it.
>
> Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited
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