The BBC, also known as the Bolivarian Broadcasting Corporation, has uniquely shaped the benign image that many outside Venezuela hold of strongman Hugo Chávez. Let’s not forget that the BBC co-produced the fictional docudrama *La revolución no será televisada*. Its website serves as a mouthpiece for Bolivarian political propaganda. Recently, Caracas correspondent Greg Morsbach ‘reported’ on the legal proceedings involving Henrique Capriles Radonski, the mayor of Baruta in Caracas and one of the most notable victims of the political persecution campaign unleashed by Hugo. I opposed this narrative and sent a letter of complaint to the BBC. What follows is the exchange with Stewart McCullough, BBC’s information division advisor.
The BBC published an article by its Caracas correspondent, Greg Morsbach, which fails to address, as usual, the most relevant aspects of this case. Specifically:
– Morsbach neglects to mention that the most crucial evidence, a video presented by Capriles’ defense, ‘disappeared’ from the court;
– Morsbach claims that “the Cuban ambassador told local media that Mr. Capriles should have used his authority as mayor but did nothing to protect his embassy” (sic). However, video evidence shows that Capriles did everything within his power to protect Castro’s representatives. In the video, Capriles met with Sánchez Otero, who accepted the help offered;
– Morsbach notes that “the ambassador says the opposition mayor entered the site to demand the registration of the building in search of fugitive Chavista officials” (sic), which is again false. Capriles entered the building to ensure the safety of all diplomatic staff, as shown in the video, which conveniently vanished;
– Morsbach omits statements made by Sánchez Otero during the interview with Ernesto Villegas, where he claims Capriles lies about his alleged participation in the siege. I wish to draw the reader’s attention to the video below and compare Sánchez Otero’s tone and behavior with the previous link;
– Morsbach fails to mention that Sánchez Otero spoke with Dog Mork Ulnes, the Ambassador of Norway to Venezuela, who offered to mediate, officially stating “there is no conflict, absolutely no conflict, we are talking and dialoguing as two brother nations; it’s a misunderstanding that has been resolved at this instance…” (sic);
– Morsbach does not mention that Sánchez Otero acknowledged Pedro Carmona Estanga‘s authority, declaring he had sent a message to President Carmona Estanga, highlighting that the responsibility for any actions against him would fall on the President of Venezuela, his Chancellor, and ultimately on his government, that is, Venezuela’s Executive;
– Morsbach omits to mention that Capriles has already spent 120 days in prison related to this same case. Some details of his case can be read here;
In summary, the BBC correspondent delivers another botched report, providing only a fraction of the story while conveniently omitting highly relevant issues that, indeed, represent a clear violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and legislation.
Initially, I received a courteous response from Stewart McCullough stating they were investigating my concern and would respond shortly. Then, their department sent the following unsigned reply:
Dear Mr. Boyd,
The article you refer to offers a fair and basic summary of the legal case, reflecting the positions of the different parties involved.
The BBC News website caters to a global audience and not just a group of pure Venezuela specialists; therefore, we must keep the story simple and focus on key elements, which is what our correspondent has done.
Thank you again for your interest in our coverage.
Regards,
BBC News Website
To which I replied:
Dear Mr. McCullough,
Thank you for your message. I feel that there is no end in sight to the dispute over objectivity, accuracy, and impartiality between bloggers and mainstream media. I don’t think it’s useful to remind you of the content of the Royal Charter and the BBC’s own guidelines, but perhaps you can point out where it is established that the BBC should keep its stories basic to meet the intellectual level of its audience.
As described, Mr. Morsbach did a dreadful job, conveniently simplifying a story to cast a negative light on opposition politicians so that the BBC’s “global audience” remains misled and misinformed about Venezuelan politics, while the propaganda in favor of Hugo Chávez continues unabated.
Keep up the good work, considering what just happened to Reuters. Sooner than you think, it will be the BBC’s turn.
Sincerely, Aleksander Boyd
The entry BBC following in Reuters’ footsteps… was first published on El Faro del Morro.