BBC and Free Speech

In response to the announcement that the EU had been awarded the totally ludicrous and discredited Nobel Peace Prize a good friend left the following comment on the BBC News website:

Surely Berlusconi should now get a nobel prize for his services to women and his
fight against corruption?

It was removed and following is the BBC's reason for censoring it, which was emailed to my friend:

Thank you for contributing to the BBC web site.  Unfortunately we've had to
remove the content below (above now) because it contravened one of our House Rules.

Your comment was considered to have broken the following House Rule:

"We reserve the right to fail comments which...

Contain potentially defamatory statements.”
 

The sooner the taxpayer funded BBC is abolished the better.