BBC to be funded by US State Department.
BBC employee | 23.03.2011 12:02 | Analysis | Globalisation | Public sector cuts | World
The BBC World Service division, responsible for foreign language broadcasting of "news" into other nations around the world, has approached the US State Department for funding.
The BBC World Service division, responsible for foreign language broadcasting of "news" into other nations around the world, has approached the US State Department for funding.
According to a number of sources currently broadcasting, the approach has been initiated by the BBC which claims to be seeking funds to help fund anti-jamming software to prevent sovereign nations preventing the BBC from successfully disseminating British and US commercial and government information into their nations.
According to Eurasia Review “The cuts in the BBC budget are so draconian that they are looking for money any place they can get it and I am sure the State Department was aware of this,” said Brian Drolet from Deepdish television. “I think what you can interpret from this is that the United States feels comfortable with the political line and the interpretation of world events that are coming from the BBC.”
"t is the worldwide reach of the BBC that has made the US State Department decide it is worth the investment. However, that brings into question what the World Service is. Is it a news broadcaster for countries that do not have reliable sources of news? Or is it now a propaganda tool for both US and UK foreign and defence policy?"
According to the BBC public relations unit, the move by the World Service planning and policy unit could potentially damage the BBC's impartiality, although critics point to dwindling audience numbers and dis-engagement being seen around the world as a result of collapsing confidence in the World Services objectivity.
The BBC plans to announce the deal on World Press Freedom Day at the beginning of May.
http://www.eurasiareview.com/bbc-wants-us-state-department-funding-strings-attached-23032011/
According to a number of sources currently broadcasting, the approach has been initiated by the BBC which claims to be seeking funds to help fund anti-jamming software to prevent sovereign nations preventing the BBC from successfully disseminating British and US commercial and government information into their nations.
According to Eurasia Review “The cuts in the BBC budget are so draconian that they are looking for money any place they can get it and I am sure the State Department was aware of this,” said Brian Drolet from Deepdish television. “I think what you can interpret from this is that the United States feels comfortable with the political line and the interpretation of world events that are coming from the BBC.”
"t is the worldwide reach of the BBC that has made the US State Department decide it is worth the investment. However, that brings into question what the World Service is. Is it a news broadcaster for countries that do not have reliable sources of news? Or is it now a propaganda tool for both US and UK foreign and defence policy?"
According to the BBC public relations unit, the move by the World Service planning and policy unit could potentially damage the BBC's impartiality, although critics point to dwindling audience numbers and dis-engagement being seen around the world as a result of collapsing confidence in the World Services objectivity.
The BBC plans to announce the deal on World Press Freedom Day at the beginning of May.
http://www.eurasiareview.com/bbc-wants-us-state-department-funding-strings-attached-23032011/
BBC employee
Comments
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Pompous
24.03.2011 10:10
Lord Reith
BBC Exaggerations.
24.03.2011 21:18
That's a remarkably western centric & short-sighted take on it! People may not be using shortwave in the west (or specifically the UK!) But they certainly use it elsewhere in the world. No, the downward trend in listeners to the BBC WS is down to fewer listeners who trust it these days.
That the BBC WS should be approaching the US State Dept, is clearly illustrative of the fact that even the WS doesn't have any confidence in what is doing anymore. The BBC is a very depressing place to work these days.
Interesting to note that the figure of 241 million you quote is substantially made up of satellite and cable viewers, where viewers may subscribe to those satellite or cable services, but never actually view channels broadcast by the BBC through those services. In reality, the BBC's reach is very considerably less than it claims.
anon