First impressions count. What you lead an article with serves as the context for the rest of the story and is the part that's most likely to color the reader's judgment. Also, most people only skim the first part of an article; the abandonment rate drops precipitously with every passing paragraph, which is why you put the most important things first, and the least important things last. This idea is succinctly conveyed by the literary maxim: don't bury the lede.
It's really not a paranoid interpretation. It's well known you can sway a reader's view on a topic by the order information is presented, and being aware of this tactic is useful for thinking critically about a news story. Every news outlet has a particular bias; the BBC is no exception. This isn't in any way to say it's a disreputable outlet.
Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government has formally written to the US Government requesting clarification on earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by US government agencies. The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong.
sure doesn't seem impartial to me.
The US intelligence fugitive Edward Snowden has arrived in Moscow on a flight from Hong Kong.
But he is only thought to be in transit before leaving for Venezuela or Ecuador, via Cuba.
The US wanted him extradited from Hong Kong but the government said Washington had failed to meet its requirements.
Mr Snowden, an intelligence contractor, fled to Hong Kong in May after revealing extensive internet and phone surveillance by US intelligence.
The Aeroflot Airbus, flight SU213, landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport at 17:10 local time (13:10 GMT).
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Are these the paragraphs you're referring to? Which sentences do you object to?