For it to be impartial the journalist would have given equal weight to his status as a whistle blower and as someone who is wanted by the USG for blowing the whistle and taking some government property in order to do so.
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.
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.