Is this the media enciting racial hatred?

I may be jumping to conclusuions, so i ask for your opinions here.

At the moment on UK tv, BBC 2 is showing a documentary entitled "Execution of a teeage girl". It is a documentary about the public hanging in Iran in 2004 of a 16 year old girl for "crimes against chastity". The only evidence was her own forced confessions.

So far they have spoken about the fact that this execution came after the Iranian government made laws saying that they would not execute anyone under the age of 18.

I have only watched ten minutes so far and already i hate the Iranian government for what happened to that girl. The BBC has talked about nothing but the diabolical ways Iran does things. Ten minutes is enough for me, i'm not watching the rest.

However, as it has done ever since joining ATS a while ago, my mind started wandering, and i started questioning the programme. Not it's content or storyline so much, i know Iran can be as barbaric as many other countries in our world. It's the timing of the programme. Smack bang in the middle of a time when there is nothing on our news channels except conflict in the middle east, with Iran, the big bad wolf waiting in the wings.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not feeling sorry for Iran or anything, but i just thought to myself that if i was instantly feeling distaste (i feel hate is a very strong word) towards Iran in just a few minutes, how are the millions of British viewers who watch the whole programme going to feel at the end of an hour?

I appreciate that this might just be a coincidence in it's timing. I appreciate that the various satellite channels are always showing documentarties on international atrocities from past and present. However this is being aired on a tv channel that EVERY television owner in Britain has access to.
It just made me wonder whether or not the BBC just thought this would be an interesting topic for a relaxing thursday nights viewing, or whether higher powers had other reasons for programmes like this being watched by so many?

I will be watching with interest over the coming weeks as to how many programmes on Iran are aired other than the normal news item.

Am i just jumping to conclusions, or does my suspicions hold any weight?

CX.

Got to hand it to you CX, its so hard to keep up with your endless and often very good posts.. you remind me of Majic!

I can't say i've seen the programme- but yes it does seem to be in perfect positioning with the current crisis' in the Middle East and this present time. Perhaps it has a slight propoganda touch to it, but not inciting racial hatred.

Yesterday if I recall a similar new story regarding Stephen Lawrence and how his supposed killers got off free of charge, thirteen years or so after his death. Racism appears to be an easy card to play and when they get the chance they will definitely report on it IMO.

Racist- No. Propoganda rallying for and if a future war occours- possibly.

Chances are a coincidence, but thats just my two cents.

Originally posted by Knights

Racist- No. Propoganda rallying for and if a future war occours- possibly.

Yes maybe the "racial hatred" thought was a bit extreme for this, totaly agree with your interpretation above. Thats more fitting to what i was feeling.

CX.

But theres no better way to help promote a war the unadulterated racism of the people you will go to war against.

Thats what made the Iraqi war so easy to do. After 9/11 (whether it was done by terrorists or us) gave a racist sentiment to make us all see it as if ALL the arabs were doing it.

If you want a war in Iran, nothing gathers more support then hatred of a people.

Look at germany in WWII :T