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The Controllers of BFBS Radio and BFBS TV have responded to the Spinwatch artilce revealing the use of 'fake journalists' on the BBC. In a letter to Spinwatch they claim that the SSVC is 'independent' of the Ministry of Defence that their staff 'take exception' to allegations of bias and that they are'categorically not purveyors of propaganda'. Further they state that if they were to practice such 'cynical manipulation' they would be 'utterly discredited both with their audience and their peers' (text of letter below). Sadly for BFBS they are already discredited with their alleged 'peers' who work in the real world of journalism as opposed to the morale boosting twilight world of propaganda. This is plain from the fact that the BBC have now pledged not to use any more of their reports. Their use has been declared 'not ideal' by Stephen Whittle, the Controller of Editorial Policy at the BBC in an email to Spinwatch (See previous blog entries).
But what of the claim that the SSVC is not propaganda and that it is independent of the MoD? As we noted in our original report, the SSVC has failed to answer our questions about the editorial guidelines governing their reporting. So we have written back to the BFBS asking for them to disclose the contents of their contract with the MoD, to publish their internal editorial guidelines so they can be scrutinised and compared with those of the BBC and ITV, and to declare whether they work under the provisions of the Broadcasting Act which imposes a legal duty on BBC and ITV journalists to be objective and impartial. We also asked the SSVC to disclose records of its news belletins from Iraq and whether they had ever interviewed any member of the anti-war movement or of Military Families Against War. Lastly we asked for a list of material produced by the SSVC that have been broadcast on the BBC and independent television and radio in the last 18 months. Of course it is already evident that the SSVC is not a normal news service. In fact it is a propaganda agency which brags on its own website that it makes 'a considerable contribution to the maintenance of the efficiency and morale' of the armed forces. In our original report we revealed that the contents of the SSVC report on the BBC had been described by BBC journalsits as an 'audio press release of the army'. In fact the thinly disguised racism of the report is itself eloquent testimony that the SSVC conception of 'balance' and 'accuracy' is no more than the well worn rituals of deception employed by propagandists everywhere. The SSVC letter is so divorced from reality that, at first sight, it is difficult to understand why they might have written it. But, given the extensive coverage that this story has got around the world (appearing on websites and being reported on radio stations in North and South America, Australasia and Africa as well as acrioss Europe) it appears that the SSVC is on the defensive. If the truth about their propaganda operation becomes more widely known, the efficacy of their work will be undermined. In particular their existence as a charity suggests that they would not be terribly keen on question being raised about their partisan reporting. All of this suggests that - as with all propaganda operations - the more widely they are known the more difficult their job will be. Perhaps Spinwatch readers might want to write to SSVC/BFBS and ask similar questions. Contact Joanne O'Hara, PR Office, SSVC - Services Sound & Vision Corporation, E: joanne.o'
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Letter from BFBS follows:
____________________________
David Miller
SpinWatch
8 April 2005
Sir Re: British Forces Broadcasting Service Following your article on SpinWatch on 15 March (BBC broadcast ‘fake’ news reports) British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) Radio and Television would like to state that we are editorially independent from the Ministry of Defence. This independence is enshrined within the contract that Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC, the parent group) has with the MoD. BFBS enjoys unfettered reporting and the staff of more than 100 broadcasters take exception to allegations of bias which undermines the credibility of the service. Additionally it is an insult to the intelligence of thousands of British military personnel to suggest that they are spoonfed propaganda laundered by BFBS. BFBS reporting sits alongside the BBC, ITV News and IRN; if we were to employ such a cynical manipulation of information, as suggested within your article, we would be entirely discredited with both our audience and our peers. All BFBS staff rigorously follow industry standards regarding independence, balance and accuracy and are categorically not purveyors of propaganda. Charles Foster, Controller BFBS Radio
Helen Williams, Controller BFBS TV |
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