A decade of BBC propaganda

[Judi Lynn]

Saturday, January 16, 2010
A decade of BBC propaganda

RESEARCHERS at the University of the West of England, UK, have exposed ongoing and systematic bias in the BBC's news reporting on Venezuela.

Lee Salter and Dave Weltman analysed 10 years of BBC reports on Venezuela since the first election of Hugo Chavez to the presidency in an on-going research project, and their findings so far show that the BBC’s reporting falls short of its legal commitment to impartiality, truth and accuracy.

The researchers looked at 304 BBC reports published between 1998 and 2008 and found that only three of those articles mentioned any of the positive policies introduced by the Chavez administration.

The BBC has failed to report adequately on any of the democratic initiatives, human rights legislation, food programmes, health care initiatives or poverty reduction programmes.

Mission Robinson, the greatest literacy programme in human history received only a passing mention.

According to the research, the BBC seems never to have accepted the legitimacy of the president, insinuating throughout the sample that Chavez lacks electoral support, at one point comparing him to Hitler (‘Venezuela’s Dictatorship’ August 31, 1999).

This undermining of Chavez must be understood in the context of his electoral record: his legitimacy is questioned despite the fact that he has been elected several times with between 56 percent and 60 percent of the vote.

In contrast victorious parties in UK elections since 1979 have achieved between 35,3 percent and 43,9 percent of the vote; the current UK Prime Minister was appointed by his predecessor, and many senior members of the British cabinet have never been elected.

It will come as no surprise that their legitimacy is never questioned by the BBC.

More:
http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=14397&cat=10

[social_critic]

1. Chavez: the high crime rate was financed by the middle class

The BBC doesn't have to say much about Chavez, he says it all himself. All you have to do is listen to this clown on Sundays, and you'll realize he deserves all the bad propaganda he can get. Today he claimed the high crime rate in Venezuela is financed and caused by the US and the Venezuelan middle class. Case closed.

[EFerrari]

2. Gee, what a surprise.

Thanks, Judi Lynn. It's good to see serious study of what has been so apparent for so long.