There are a lot of crowing cocks in Bahrain, at least in the Juffair neighbourhood. They were crowing every 20 seconds most of the night. One can only wonder what they are protesting about. Thursday in Bahrain was completely unremarkable. A man with board met us off the plane and we were escorted through the airport. That is very nice, but then they want to make a good impression and money is clearly no object. Manama had its usual traffic as we motored into the city, by way of FunLand, which appeared to be offering bowling and penguins. There were no visible penguins, and no burnt-out cars.
Juffair (pronounced Ju-fire) seems a typical sandy suburb of Manama. It is close to the acronym-laden district where the American (and British) military are secreted. I felt entirely safe there. In any case, as every general knows, one needs to choose your battlefield with caution. You would want to avoid this place because the order “Hold Juffair” is likely to be misinterpreted by the chaps on the front line.
The problem in Bahrain is that no-one knows where the front line is. If you want to go and look for trouble, there is no doubt that you can find it. But in the more glittery parts of Manama, which you do not see on the news, all seems peaceful. The Internet worked after about an hour experimenting and the newspaper headlines from around the world reflect the problems going on in Bahrain (some are more than a little exaggerated), but at the other end of the scale the Gulf Daily News, in particular, is filled with chirpy stories, such as “BIC an “oasis of calm”, “Shaikh Nasser welcomes F1 community to Bahrain” and “The right formula to speed up kingdom’s growth”. The Joe Goebbels Academy would be proud of them. I don’t really know how as journalists they can be proud of themselves.
Last night we were entertained with drinks and nibblies by the BIC people in a very chic place. It was all very pleasant and there were various smooth-talking PR people and former police chiefs on hand to argue the party line. They all looked like they are earning lots of money. We walked to and from the event, but there was nothing to report and dinner in TGI Fridays suggested that we were anywhere but a supposed war zone. When we got back the Internet at the media hotel was in a pickle of conflicting IP numbers and would not work at all.
If the opposition is wanting to make contact with the visiting sports journalists then they have not made any efforts thus far. I did get something shoved under my door this morning, but it was an advertisement for “Gulf Interiors Exhibition” with lots of nice pictures of cheerful paint pots.
During the night there were a few bangs somewhere out in the city. I have no idea what they were.
It is only logical that life would be like this. The circuit spin doctors will tell you this is no different from Belfast or London. In one respect yes. If there is a riot going on in Parliament Square, you may find life completely normal on Piccadilly. The thing is that police and protesters are not exchanging tear gas and Molotov Cocktails every night in Parliament Square. The problem with having spin doctors is that one tends to question anything they say, because you know that they are there for a reason. Thus, if they tell you that a survey has been done showing that 77 percent of Bahrainis are in favour of the GP, one tends to think “But you would say that, wouldn’t you?”
And one has to question the freedom of a place when a visitor with a video camera in his bags has to go off and see the airport security people. With the modern mobile phone we are all cameramen.
The problem remains “what if?” and we have already had one near miss with the Force India incident. One can go and find the trouble, as some are doing, but what does F1 do if the trouble comes to find them?
This morning we rode down to the circuit in a media bus, with a very big sign on the front saying what it was. We counted police cars. Some were very well hidden, as befits unobtrusive policing. Yates of the Yard is obviously giving good advice. The road blocks we encountered near the circuit were well-designed as well. We saw 50 police cars and an armoured car. They were concentrated in the area where the road went through the Shia villages. It was 08.00 on a Friday morning (which is a Saturday in Bahrain). Nothing was happening. Indians, of which there are thousands in Bahrain, were busy playing cricket. We went through a string of roadblocks in the last couple of miles. When we got to the gate there were security police inspecting our briefcases. They were confiscating Snickers bars, all liquids and pens.
“We are journalists,” we said. “We are here to promote your country. If you confiscate our pens how can we do that?”
Pens are obviously mightier than swords here in Bahrain.
No matter what happens, the one question that remains is whether F1 and Bahrain will really gain anything from this weekend, I am sure money will change hands up in the Berniesphere and the blazers in JeanTodtville will breathe a sigh of relief, but what will be the image damage for the sport? Will Bahrain be viewed as being any more peaceful than it is? Will the Bahrainis be convinced that they are in fact “unif1ed”? I am sure there are PR statisticians who can prove or deny these things, but for me F1 will come out of the race meeting with the look of an out-of-touch, money-grabbing sport with no discernible morals and no discernible backbone.
It will certainly having nothing to crow about.
joeblogsf1 
An article by Damon Hill explaining his position, showing about as much indecision as most of his efforts at overtaking http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/apr/19/damon-hill-bahrain-grand-prix
Way to go Vettel:
———-
No one, it seems, wants to be here, apart from the race organisers, although the Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel struck a crassly insensitive note when he said: “It is not a big problem and I am happy once we start testing tomorrow because then we can start worrying about the stuff that really matters like tyre temperatures, cars …”
———-
from http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/19/f1-bahrain-grand-prix-force-india
That was satire…
I read in another report that he was being sarcastic.
He’s a python fan and that’s satire.
Joe,
Was it the typical “chicane” type of roadblock where the vehicles are forced to slow down and wind through the barriers quite a way off from the actual checkpoint? I wonder what the ROE and escalation of force would be for the police manning the checkpoints. It doesn’t make sense to me – what are they going to do if someone decides to go through the checkpoint? Tear gas isn’t going to stop a vehicle. Shoot, a NATO 556 round (or rounds, for that matter) won’t stop a vehicle. It seems like a nightmare for whoever is in charge. At least in Afghanistan you know you can shoot if you need to – but this isn’t Afghanistan and they aren’t “at war” Even then when you’re ordered to “stop the vehicle” (Which involves shooting the tires out, then the engine block and finally the driver) you have that moment where you’re like “Damn, am I about to do this?” and then you hear the inevitable “DO IT NOW” from the LT and someone takes that first shot and then it’s game on.
It was a tight chicane of two police cars with cameras at the back of the second and the “artillery” behind the second police car. Also a very large number of “civilians” sitting around doing nothing at all. Hundreds of them.
There would have been a riot right there and then if someone had tried to confiscate my snickers bar!!!
Comment from Damon
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/apr/19/damon-hill-bahrain-grand-prix
Great post. A sharp contrast with the infantile remarks on one Sebastian Vettel who said “tomorrow we worry about stuff that really matters – tyre temperatures, and cars.”
God bless you Joe. Loved your piece today. BBC ran with Hulk, De Resta and Massa soundbites and torpid summary to camera by TV type. I wont watch the race on principle. Let us all hope it’s not on the news channel for wrong reasons.
Its a very difficult situation. The Bahraini Sheiks own part of McLaren and pay Bernie a lot of money to come and race. The west’s entire navel security is based there to protect the free flow of oil out of the Gulf –without which the world economy would implode. On top of that the Muslim world is on the edge of a Sunni vs Shiite war that will make the 100s of years of wars between the Catholics and Protestants in Europe since the 1600s look like a picnic. Best to just enjoy the racing and thank god we were not around when the christians were killing each other–the conflict only ending in N Ireland a few years ago.
Thanks for the report Joe. Please stay safe.
your last sentence joe, ‘but for me etc etc etc’ says it all. can i take it then that you will be moving on and severing all your connections with F1 and it all its associated environs? don’t want to be seen to be involved any longer with such an unsavoury group of people do we.
Yeah, great idea. A new career at my age.
Joe’s job is to report on Formula One, I’m sure he would like it to improve it’s image and be more successful. I work in the media. The phone hacking scandals of the UK didn’t do much to make me love the industry I’m part of, but does quitting as an independent remain the only answer?
I’m starting to get rather bored of these sorts of comments. As a grown-up human being you are supposed to speak truth to power and be honest with those you love. I’m sure Joe loves motorsports (he’s obviously dedicated his life to it) and as a grown up he would honestly love to see it flourish but he’s also grown up enough to point out when it’s flawed and tarnishes itself.
I think most of us can be grown up enough to point out the bad sides of formula one without the immature comments along the lines of ‘well if you don’t love it unconditionally go home…’ – it’s childish really.
I think Joe’s last para did say it all – but I say that without any of the questioning undertones such as if you don’t like it then don’t be a reporter etc etc. Bernie might not give a stuff but F1 has not done itself any favours by running this race which is of course what Joe is saying (I think)
@kenji
Check and mate counsellor , you got him with your crystal clear vision and articulation when no one else could! The world really is as black and white as you see it you just have the “gift” that most others don’t so have patience with us while we all miss the point.
I have an idea let’s piss off the guy that somehow finds the energy to interact with one of the only (if not the only, no fluff pieces) decent F1 blogs after all his other writing and travelling duties and encourage him to quit. We then can pester all the remaining amateur hobbyist bloggers with our razor sharp observations while enjoying their in depth internet dredged F1 coverage.
Kenji, Try crash.net for a few weeks there you will find absolutely no hypocrisy as your comments here infer. They need your valuable insight and you can school their readership with immediate worldwide feedback, enjoy
Joe, way to not take the bait, good comeback
Joe,
I respect your views on F1 in general if not always agreeing with them but the recent weeks build up to Bahrain has been a low point in your journalistic output in my opinion. I believe that if you don’t know about something then either go and find out directly about it or shut up. To much liberal pontificating about human rights when you have not the slightest clue about what the issues are or what the wider political backdrop might be makes for a tedious and whining sound in the media.
This is an orchestrated disruption of Bahrain by Iranian influence because of the Western looking ruling elite. The outcome of sweeping reforms in favour of the Shia protestors would make the state of Bahrain unvisitable ever again and eventually cause its financial collapse – which would deprive even more people of their ‘rights’. Never mind the further de-stabilising influence that would then have on the surrounding Gulf States.
That F1 is there is neither here nor there in the grand scheme but it is an effort for normality and like it or not a political statement about who is in charge in the country.
At the end of the day F1 has a global perspective and even if it is run by an elite as Bahrain is – is their anyone throwing Molotov cocktails at Bernie’s motorhome about his management of the sport? It is no different an argument in many respects. I am sure Bernie would be equally dismissive of the whining few. Remember most Arabs have only two aspects to their lives – family and money. Everything else is irrelevant – including Islam, despite what appearances may give. All Arabs no matter what side of the tribe they are from are hypocrites in the extreme and have endlessly squabbled amongst themselves for centuries. Every day in Saudi Arabia I witness it and most people I speak with who regularly go to Bahrain see the protests as irrelevant noise by a lawless minority.
What a lot of tosh.
I think that’s being generous, Joe !
One might have expected a little more thought to your response. You clearly show a streak of complete idiocy that I didn’t think you had. Perhaps being less dismissive of someone who is in the Middle East day in, day out and who asks the relevant questions would have shown you in a better light.I have to work with all these conflicting sensibilities on a daily basis and try to unify them within a working environment. You clearly haven’t got out of your air-conditioned cocoon. Idiot!
As a former resident in the Middle East, my opinion is that you’re spot on with the ‘liberal pontificating’ aspect of your post. This covers all events worldwide in which we are subjected to such behaviour.
That said, it seems anybody with a conflicting opinion or actual experience of the matter at hand (in this case, the dynamics of a typical Muslim society) is shot down.
Someone who stereotypes all Arabs? Someone who says everyone is an idiot who doesn’t agree with your anti-liberal views? Wow – you’re really piling on the intellectual heavyweight agenda here. Slow down before your insight overwhelms the rest of us…
Typical liberal reply. Do you actually have any experience living among Arabs for any period of time, and I don’t mean visiting for couple of days? If you did you would realize how the OP is right on the money.
I read this blog because Joe is very knowledgeable when he writes about F1. Unfortunately within the last two weeks he has been ranting and raving about Bahrain and nothing else. In doing so he painted himself in a corner.
So then the OP post was not really and “anti-liberal” but merely input based on direct experience. Maybe it is a good idea for you and Joe to forget empty ideals and learn to use your brains and analytic powers to form unbiased and reflective opinions based on reality.
Yes, I never use any brains in my assessments. Why on earth would you read such piffle. Rude person.
Yeah, let’s all be tyrants and ignore/dismiss minorities. Shame idiots (and i’m being polite here) are NOT a minority.
The political situation in Bahrain is complex and almost all of the reporting is monochromatic and flat about these complexities. I’m actually very interested in Joe’s reporting because he is there and I find the whole dynamic quite interesting. The above poster’s reply is not a lot of tosh because he has a point.
Everything Joe writes about regarding safety has been spot on. There’s a risk and going there may have consequences. Any opinion that it is stupid to go there and put people at risk or F1 might inflame the situation is legitimate. People might get hurt or worse. Before the event, it was hard to get any information on how bad things were there. And more importantly, what exactly (for real) has changed since last year in regards to reforms. I’m not sure anything has changed. I would like to know and I’d hope someone in F1 would just touch upon it.
The problem with F1 is the morality side. Now Joe isn’t a New York Times or London Times journalist and shouldn’t be held to that standard, but like many people writing about Bahrain, Joe has (a little bit) taken a moral position the ruling elite are acting . . . . immorally.
F1 and morality don’t mix well. F1 just left China. China is worse than Bahrain. Does F1 care? Clearly not. Why? Money and the absence of reportable conflict in the Edmund Burke sense. So F1 should be careful about moralizing because in the end the community just looks stupid and hypocritical. Hence the above poster’s “then just shut up” remark.
The above poster is right about Iran. The US and Saudi Arabia are also vested. It’s complicated.
If anyone is interested, here is an older NY Times piece that goes deeper into this dirty, no-win situation.
Bahrain and the struggle of their people is front-page news today. Without F1 that would not be the case. The GP is already a force for good IMHO. What’s great, surely, is that both sides will claim a victory, but the matter is open for global debate. What happens next in terms of international pressure is up to the rest of the world, but the issue has been brought back to the top of the news agenda and that, surely, is a good thing for the people of Bahrain?
Confiscating Snickers bars, liquids and pens, whatever for?
Everyone knows journos hide explosives in their snickers ! Lion bars, Yorkies and Mars bars are fine, though.. 😉
They have probably had intelligence that some nefarious device might be hidden in a snack bar wrapping, or a pen (an ignition device?). Hope the organisers were giving out free ballpoints in the media centre.
Your thinking is entirely logical given the use of time pencils and Nobel 808 by the SOE. However, I am told that it was because there are now some pens that can be used as cameras, and these have been used by the protesters to promote their cause. We were allowed to keep our pens when we pointed out that we were journalists.
They’ve seemingly learned their security techniques from airports…
Liquids I can understand as they don’t want you throwing Molotov cocktails (or they’re in league with the drinks retailers at the track). Snickers bars make a great snack, so that makes sense and they’ve apparently been watching too many James Bond movies and see pens as guns, explosives and knives.
On a more serious note, I imagine they’re doing what they are allowed and confiscating what they are allowed. Much like airports they are removing simple sources of harm that they can get away with. Of course allowing you to drive a vehicle through dismisses the Molotov reasoning as your fuel tank contains more than enough liquid and I’m guessing they’re not taking the empty water bottles (that’s NOT meant to be an idea!).
Maybe they’ve seen a film on Youtube on how to defend yourself against someone attacking you with a piece of fruit. They probably took it for real and thought “well, a candy bar must be just as bad as a banana”. (It’s a Monty Python sketch, btw.)
The ABC ( australian brodcasting corporation ) ran a story this afternoon saying 4 Indian team members left Bahrain because of violence. I`m guessing this was the incident with the Force India staff and was reported incorrectly, or is it something else? The ABC is not particularly F1 savvy, however, their youth national radio station JJJ also ran a piece this evening with Amnesty International talking about why “Formula One car racing” should not be there. I only mention this because the ABC rarely reports on F1, even if Mark Webber wins. I just dont understand why, with all that brain power, F1 went there.
The ABC sound as well informed as OneHD/Channel 10 presenters…
Other sources are saying that 4 of the Force India team were in the near miss involving Molotovs *near* their car. Of that group of 4, one has apparently returned home, as has one other member of the team who was not involved.
So 2 departures and not 4. And no-one seems to have reported whether they’re Indians or not.
The Beeb have just mentioned something about Force India refusing to do P2 because their staff do not want to travel back from the circuit after nightfall. No decent confirmation as yet it seems.
The radio news report I heard definitely said “4 Indians”, which I am sure is a confused report about the incident involving Force India. The ABC is normally pretty good at getting things right, however, they are not F1 savvy. here is another report from the ABC today. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-20/bahrain-gp-going-ahead/3963658
So many fascinating bits in that piece it’s hard to know where to start. I’m excited by the prospect of bowling and penguins, imagining some sort of cross-over of the two. And the “cheerful paint pots” – is it the pots or the paints which are cheerful? And the Snickers bars? Why the Snickers bars? Is this linked rumours of a new wave of chocolatey-nutty terrorist incidents across the Middle East?
Great piece Joe, thank you for doing what you do and doing it so well.
Another well balanced article from you Joe. I especially like these two lines because I think they lie at the heart of the problem of having the F1 circus come to Bahrain:
“The thing is that police and protesters are not exchanging tear gas and Molotov Cocktails every night in Parliament Square.”
and
“I am sure there are PR people who can prove or deny these things, but for me F1 will come out of the race meeting with the look of an out-of-touch, money-grabbing sport with no discernible morals and no discernible backbone.”
Do you think the attitude F1 has towards Bahrain is going to hurt F1’s popularity in Europe (or the US or Asia for that matter)?
Hi Joe,
It is good to see one F1 journalist telling us what they see and feel beyond the stratified world of F1. Thank you. Some here no doubt are saying that it is nothing to do with F1 and others are saying that you are only giving your own prejudiced view – what other view can you bring than your own? At least you have the balls to do so and as an independent journalist you are not shackled to report only what your paymasters require. Somehow I doubt that any of the TV commentators this week-end will do a James Hunt (think of the South African GP)…
It is a rare occasion when I am embarrassed by sport being so insensitive and crass and thinking purely of the money. When friends who are non F1 fans ask why this race is going ahead the only answer is money as it surely is not for sport.
Paul, for those who are not familiar with BBC and their F1 coverage from the 80’s here’s the James Hunt bit you refer to (by Andrew Benson):
On the subject of the BBC broadcast of the 1985 South African race, there is an interesting story to tell.
As usual, the commentary team was Murray Walker and James Hunt. They were calling the race from a studio in London – and although this was quite common back then at far-flung races, it was not communicated to the audience. Practices were very different 26 years ago.
Hunt had very strong views on apartheid, which was still nine years away from ending in South Africa, and during the live broadcast he suddenly launched into a withering attack on the evils of the system and the South African government.
As I’m sure you are aware, the BBC is very careful not to stray into political comment in a sports broadcast, however commonplace and justifiable the views expressed might be. So the producer Mark Wilkin – now the BBC’s F1 editor – handed Hunt a note which read: “Talk about the race!”
At which point, Hunt said: “Anyway, thank goodness we are not actually there.” (http://bbc.in/Je1P29)
I think this four year old piece by Keith Collantine is also worth reading: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/02/05/f1-and-racism-the-1985-south-african-grand-prix/
“… F1 will come out of the race meeting with the look of an out-of-touch, money-grabbing sport with no discernible morals and no discernible backbone.”
Yep, that just about sums it up.
Unfortunately F1 is not the only sport lacking backbone and morals. The 2014 ice hockey world championship will be held in Belarus, Europe’s last dictatorship.
Quite right – As long as the short one is in charge, F1 will never have any morals nor backbone and will continue to be all about money grabbing.
The west accuses China of human right abuses yet the olympics went ahead in 2008.
It’s time the west shed the skin of hypocrisy
Well, let’s face it, China holds the Western world by the balls…
“F1 will come out of the race meeting with the look of an out-of-touch, money-grabbing sport with no discernible morals and no discernible backbone.”
I love the sport, but it has always been as you described. This weekend is just the time the rest of the world sees it.
Have you heard the rumours that the hacker collective Anonymous are planning a cyber attack on the FIA for going to Bahrain? It was reported on the BBC website.
Can’t wait for this GP to be over…
thank you peter fox, well done for posting a reasoned and intelligent approach and from the perspective that so many just don’t have or are too involved in the propagation of ‘conspicuous compassion’ to make any endeavour to find out. too much sanctimonious clap trap from the acolytes for me.
Interestingly though only Bahrain is turning away reporters at the airport. Chinese bureacracy may have slowed down entry for a few, but the event was freely covered. As of two hours ago, Bahrain had rejected journalists from Sky News, The Financial Times, Agence France Presse, several Associated Press and Dubai based reporters for Reuters. They have restricted all camera crews to designated areas and have instructed cameras to ensure they carry high-viz stickers and been turned away from filming anything outside of the track facilities.
Bahrain is doing a marvelous job. As long as you want to advertise yourself as a regime intent on hiding everything.
But yeah, conspicuous compassion is to blame for this. Calling everyone who doesn’t agree with you an idiot is the moral high ground in this debate. I’m sure you’re enjoying your perspective clothed in the urgency of your narrow-mindedness.
The F1 reporters inside Bahrain are not all numbskulls, with no idea about the complexities of the situation. Nor are we tools for the regime. We have a job to do, but some are doing two jobs, if asked to do so by their editors. The pure sports journalists may not be doing political stuff if no-one wants them to. Why should they?
Joe are you going to go out on the streets where the demonstrations are taking place? You have written so much about this that you must be desperate to see it first hand. It’s the only way to prove what is being written and I see a few F1 correspondents are trying it. Looking forward to your take from the frontline. The reason your reports from the paddock are so trustworthy is that you are an insider and I imagine that is just what all the news organisations want in the protesters camps right now! Stay safe though!
No, we know what the protesters have to say and we know what the government has to say, what we do not know is what the average Bahraini people think. This evening a couple of colleagues and I went out with three guys, who want their voice to be heard. It was a very interesting evening.
That does sound more interesting but the onnly way for us to get the truth about what is going on would be for you to go on the streets and report about the demonstrations. It could also be financially lucrative for you as news organisations would snap you up I’m sure. Having said all that, I know that a journalist doesn’t need to be somewhere to report on it – I think that’s the biggest benefit of the remote world we live in! It is nice to know that you realise this as it means you aren’t in danger
Love the ‘hold juffair’ gag! 🙂
Peter Fox, I take it that you would be happy for you and your family to live under an ethnic minority dictatorship who had no intention of relinquishing power to the people and were prepared to invite the military of their neighbour, Saudi, into the country in order to hold onto power ? Writing such ignorant, scaremongering claptrap about Iranian backed Shia’s just shows your obvious prejudice against certain cultures of the globe. So we must support a Western looking dictatorship monarchy that keeps down the will of it’s population with force if necessary ? Peter ? I have news for you ? They are not Western looking if they are a dictatorial monarchy ? We don’t do those in the west ? I feel pretty confident that we have firmly fallen on the side of democracy here in the west, and countries that have no interest in it are no friends of the west once their money has run out.
Kenji, how is supporting a minority dictatorship monarchy intent on holding onto power with force, well reasoned ? What planet are you guys on ?
No matter how complex the situation is, the crux is that the ruling elite have the money and the guns and are not going to let Joe Public have any more power than is absolutely necessary.
And supporting this elite is one shade of evil.
Joe stay safe. Keep up the good work.
Never has the Eccolstone economic model of selling to dictatorships and questionable democracies, supported by the arrogant Whitmarshes and Dennises of the world, been more apparent than this weekend.
These countries will always exist, but why be lazy and revolve the sport’s economic model around such places?
And thanks for a good joke to start with Joe – the ‘hold juffair’ gag did make me laugh aloud.
Great post Joe.
I can’t imagine any other F1 journalist having the nerve to make a omment about the Joe Goebbels academy. Far too many of your colleagues seem keen to sing the company song and stick to the party line.
“You clearly show a streak of complete idiocy…..You clearly haven’t got out of your air-conditioned cocoon. Idiot!”
Joe, is this really worth your time? Tiresome to read, to be polite about it. Glad at least Peter Fox is such a man as to go off and do his own public blog, detailing what he does and why. Guess he forgot to post the link.
I was going to comment on the situation in Bahrain, but as usual you’ve said it more eloquently than I could manage. It is extremely sad that as a journalist who goes to *all* f1 races, you have become some kind of pawn in a political chess game played by people in suits of various nationalities, only some of whom can be bothered to turn up at the chimps tea party they have engineered. Many decisions made in f1 are bizarre, and defy any logic but their own. This is just the latest. Good luck Joe, and stay safe.
“We are journalists,” we said. “We are here to promote your country.”
Classic. To me, that says it all.
Those two things are mutually exclusive, and I think a journalist should know better.
F1 “journalism,” if such a thing even really exists, is going to have a black eye for a long, long time after this weekend. My only hope is that F1 scribes leave the heavy lifting to real journalists the next time the paths of sport and politics meet.
“real journalists” is a really insulting thing to write. We are all real journalists and some are very good at it. Some are not, but to dismiss everyone in that way is just silly.
We all see the insult Joe so I dont think you need to rise to that. However I think the point he is making is that you are a journalist who writes about sport so you should stick to doing that. You have already made a conscious decision of doing that by not going on the streets of Bahrain to see the protests first hand as some of your colleagues have done. Thats hardly a bad decision because it means you stay safe and your reports here are not focussed on the shock and awe on the streets. People come here to read about the goings on in F1 and not first hand accounts of political issues because there arent any.
You have devoted a lot of coverage to the Bahrain demonstrations even though you have not been to see them personally and this is probably what is driving B.M. Hall’s comment. However, he should realise that in today’s digital age you dont need to see something first hand to report on it well. Just look at the number of journalists who report on F1 for television stations and newspapers to millions of people from outside the race. There are even news organisations which have been banned from Bahrain but are reporting on the demonstrations there from outside the country! So you are right that “real journalists” do not need to see something first hand to report on it. You are the best evidence of this because if real journalists had to see something in person to write about it then you would not be a real journalist and obviously you are. I am certainly looking forward to real news from real journalists this weekend and if they are outside the area then so be it. If it is news about what is really going on in F1 then more the better! Keep on fighting Joe!
Thank you all for your comments on this subject. It is now over. I have read some interesting views from all sides, and have noted particularly the number of people who were pleased that the silent majority has had a voice, albeit a small one. Everyone has a different viewpoint and finding the right balance between the various parties is not easy at all. I hope that there can be some balance found so that the bloodshed can stop. However, this is a motor racing blog and we must now move on.