Saturday 20 March 2021

china, the bbc and disinformation

A programme went out on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on 11th March:

The disinformation dragon

Prior to the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement and the Covid 19 pandemic, China’s presence on social media was largely to promote a positive image of its country – trying to ‘change the climate’ rather than seeking to sow confusion and division. But this is changing. In this investigation for Assignment Paul Kenyon and Krassimira Twigg examine China’s new strategy of aggressively pushing disinformation on social media platforms through the use of ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats, internet bots, ‘the 50-cent army’ of loyal Chinese netizens and a longer term goal of inventing a new type of internet where authoritarian governments can control its users.

BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, The disinformation dragon

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Together with more reportage

The disinformation tactics used by China - BBC News

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The Chinese government and media did not like it:

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China’s Foreign Ministry lodges stern representations with BBC over fake news

Published: Mar 19, 2021 08:52 PM

The Information Department of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged solemn representations recently with the BBC's Beijing bureau over fake news related to China.

Such reports include so-called "forced labor" in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,” and China "curtailing press freedom" made by BBC World News, as well as a report titled “The Disinformation Dragon" by BBC Radio 4.

Holding a strong ideological bias in its China-related reports, the BBC has repeatedly hyped up false information on topics related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and COVID-19, and even fabricated fake news, an official in charge of the Information Department said.

China’s Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in the UK have also lodged solemn representations with the BBC and its Beijing bureau on many occasions.

However, the BBC, instead of correcting its mistakes, has gone even further to attack and smear China over topics related to Xinjiang, so-called "press freedom" and "false information," which has seriously misled the audience and seriously violated the principle of fairness and impartiality in news reporting.

“China expresses strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to such behavior,” the official said...

In the letter, the spokesperson pointed out and dismissed five aspects that BBC Radio 4 falsely reported on in the report “The Disinformation Dragon,” regarding COVID-19 origin-tracing, Twitter's taking down of accounts attributed to China, Tiktok, internet security and "Wolf Warrior" diplomacy. 

China’s Foreign Ministry lodges stern representations with BBC over fake news - Global Times

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Here is a little more about the 'Global Times' which carried the article above:

The Global Times (simplified Chinese环球时报traditional Chinese環球時報pinyinHuánqiú Shíbào) is a daily tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party's flagship People's Daily newspaper, commenting on international issues from a nationalistic perspective.[1][2][3][4] The newspaper has been the source of various incidents, including fabrications and disinformation.

The publication has been labelled by some scholars and writers as "China's Fox News" for its propagandistic slant and the monetization of nationalism.[5][6] It is part of a broader set of Chinese state media outlets that constitute the Chinese government's propaganda apparatus.[7][8]

Global Times - Wikipedia

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The Associated Press also carried the story on 11th March:

China blasts BBC report after summoning UK ambassador

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But this has been going on for much longer than this particular programme, with Deutsche Welle on 8th March reporting on how the UK is not happy about Chinese media:

British regulators fine Chinese ′propaganda′ channel | News | DW | 08.03.2021

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And back on 23rd Feb, the China Global Television Network had been reporting on the BBC:

Why is BBC making fake news against China? - CGTN

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Here is a little more about CGTN:

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China Global Television Network (CGTNChinese中国国际电视台pinyinZhōngguó guójì diànshìtái or Chinese中国环球电视网pinyinZhōngguó Huánqiú Diànshì Wǎng[1]) (until 2016, CCTV International) is the international division of the state-owned media organization China Central Television (CCTV), the headquarters of which is in BeijingChina. CGTN broadcasts six news channels in six languages.[2][3] CGTN is registered under the State Council of the People's Republic of China and is under the control of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party.[2][4][5]

CGTN has been accused of propaganda and disinformation on behalf of the Chinese government and has aired forced confessions.[5][6][7][8]

China Global Television Network - Wikipedia

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And, just like the BBC World Service, CGTN are global:

CGTN Africa | Strengthening news coverage in Africa

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How much 'disinformation' is the BBC producing? 

Allegations that the corporation lacks impartial and objective journalism are regularly made by observers on both the left and the right of the political spectrum.

Criticism of the BBC - Wikipedia

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This article outlines, in chronological order, the various controversies surrounding or involving the BBC.

BBC controversies - Wikipedia

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