Monday, October 23, 2006

Cover Blown By BBC

You know me, I'm not one to nitpick, but when the BBC starts blurting out details of anonymous sources to all and sundry, well really, it takes the biscuit!

Here's the story so far:

1. BBC journalist asks me for a contribution to the BBC Radio Kent feature on blogging.
2. I agree on the basis that I remain anonymous and record, edit and disguise the contribution myself, here in my £250,000, state of the art recording studio at the old cliff top mansion.
3. Dr Biggles claims on his blog that he has 'unscrambled' the disguised voice, and publishes the results.
4. I then might have been a bit, er, rash and 're-scrambled' Dr Biggles's contribution thus:



5. OK, pause here to call me petty if you like.
6. Dr Biggles becomes so enraged that he calls the BBC journalist demanding more information about me, and said journalist reveals without batting an eyelid that his anonymous source recorded and disguised his contribution himself!

I know it's not exactly blowing the beans on who I am, but if I was an IRA supergrass I think I'd be a bit hacked off. Or, more likely, a bit would have been hacked off me by now.

Here is what the BBC's own Producer Guidelines say about protecting anonymous sources:

Protecting sources is a key principle of journalism for which some journalists have gone to jail. We must take care when we promise anonymity that we are in a position to honour it, including the need to resist a court order.

'Resisting a court order' presumably doesn't encompass 'Resisting some geezer who rings up and wants to know who it is'. Fortunately, however, there's also a handy tip a few paragraphs later:

We must ensure that if anonymity is necessary it is effective. Both picture and voice may need to be disguised. A "voice-over" by another person is usually better than technically induced distortion, which can be reversed...

Being a belt and braces kind of a guy, I always think it pays to combine both options. And besides, my old mate Barrymore was desperate for the work.

7 comments:

Tony Flaig said...

I suggest you get out of town tonight, head north, dont phone home, forget your family, forget your agent, you can never see them again the doctor is hot on your trail.

Lie low a man from the beeb will contact you in due time, don't worry a safe house has been prepared for you in Cliftonville

Anonymous said...

Will do, Tony. As you can see, I'm already taking measures to hide my tracks.

Lucy Mail said...

I would suggest that your use of a reverse acronym in your title indicates that you're not taking this as seriously as you should!

This assailant has

A) A finger in many pies.

B) A spy plane so small that it is undectable by radar.

C) Spy equipment that could determine what you have eaten from the residue on your toothbrush on the window sill (if you brush your teeth, that is).

D) Recently aquired the worlds most sophisticated code breaker (windows 95 sound recorder, I suspect).

E) Most likely, a multi-function pen-knife.

F) Nothing better to do, obviously.

Suggest that you rename yourself The Jackal and Hide.


ps Word verification came up with GORKS, an indication that a swearword is just around the corner, perhaps?

Richard Eastcliff said...

Keep the advice coming chaps. I'm up against it here. I suspect Dr Biggles was one of those chaps at school who completed and painted his Airfix models. In specific squadron colours, too. Help!

Unknown said...

Not enraged.. just curious.. bit like tackling a jigsaw puzzle that needs completing and ECR has already provided most of the pieces. As Tony says, best get out of town to a pad in Cliftonville where you'll feel more comfortable!

Anonymous said...

Well the sooner you finish the job and unmask the sick, twisted individual behind this awful blog the better, Dr Moores. You and Thanet Life have done wonderful things for the area, what has this Eastcliff Richard done apart from berate and pillory your site and mock the area?

Hopefully when he's exposed to the glare of publicity he'll shrivel up and crawl back under the rock from whence he came from.

Anonymous said...

And when he gets there, Anon 301, no doubt he'll find your precious Biggles, aka Dr Moores.