We have already reported the Archbishop of Canterbury’s participation in the BBC Radio 4 Start the Week programme last week.
The Archbishop has now published the following on his website, with links to audio files of the programme and a subsequent discussion on the BBC’s Feedback programme.
Archbishop on BBC Radio 4: Start the Week
Monday 05 April 2010
In a special Easter edition of Start the Week recorded at Lambeth Palace, Andrew Marr discusses personal faith and institutional failure with Dr Rowan Williams.
The programme also discusses atheism and the Bible with novelist Philip Pullman, on the publication of his new work ‘The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ’; whether faith can or should enter economics with Islamic scholar Professor Mona Siddiqui and cultural identity and religious jokes with David Baddiel on the release of his new film The Infidel.
Play 100405 Easter Start The Week [28Mb]
A few days after Start the Week was broadcast, Feedback, the forum show for comments, queries and criticisms of BBC radio programmes and policy asked ‘Did Radio 4 misrepresent statements made by the Archbishop of Canterbury in its news bulletins over the weekend?’
Play 100409 BBC Feedback [12Mb]
Just another case, then, of statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury being quoted out of context – thereby affording more controversy than is necessary in the circumstances? Well, who should be surprised at that? The real problem with broadcasting though is that the spoken word is often taken to be ‘gospel’, whereas the written word can be so easily overlooked and forgiven!!! Also, the spoken word can be ‘spoken’, as in this particular case, even before it is officially ‘broadcast’. Surely not a good thing? As for the written word, just take a look at the web-sites of GAFCON &… Read more »