Wednesday, October 18, 2006

BBC "Apparently" Doesn't Like Poll Results

The Daily Express reported that 98% of those polled "agreed that a restriction [on the veil] would help to safeguard racial harmony and improve communication." Considering that the poll was conducted by people phoning or writing in, I doubt it is very accurate. However, the numbers are probably quite high.

The BBC (Northern Ireland) did a review of the newspapers and picked up on this poll on the front page of The Express. This is what they had to say:

The Express has been asking its readers what they think about Muslim women and the veil. Apparently 98% think that banning the veil would help racial harmony and improve communication.
But later in the same article it says this:

But the Daily Telegraph says people can be offended by anything. It notes that one Persian sect shies away from lettuces.

The Cambridge Online dictionary defines 'apparently' as "used to say you have read or been told something although you are not certain it is true". So, why is the BBC casting doubt on the poll result of the Express but not on a claim (which seems more unbelievable) that a group of people are offended by lettuces?