(FreedomBeacon.com)- Despite criticism, the BBC stands behind the advertisements it has created for Huawei and other Chinese state media outlets, arguing that the money from these clients is essential to the organization’s ability to support journalism across the world.
The report claims that former BBC newscaster turned senior vice president Richard Pattinson currently heads up the BBC’s little-known commercial division. He has written numerous pessimistic pieces on the Communist powerhouse, including an editorial in the Financial Times last August that warned of China’s danger because of the Taiwan dispute.
According to an investigative report, Pattinson doesn’t explain that the BBC StoryWorks commercial branch he manages has had relations with China for years and is generating money by creating sponsored material for the Chinese propaganda machine and the largest firms in China.
According to a report, BBC StoryWorks has maintained relationships with China Global Television Network, which is barred from airing in the UK, and with Huawei, a company sanctioned by the UK and in America due to national security issues.
In an uncovered document, executive Vice President of Advertising Sean O’Hara assured a British lawmaker that the BBC reports on China without bias.
O’Hara also noted that the BBC News’ worldwide network of journalists and our ability to present unbiased news to audiences in the United Kingdom and abroad are directly supported by the advertising revenue produced by the service. O’Hara guaranteed that it had no bearing on the content it created for publication.
The report showed that O’Hara also claimed the work for Huawei and CGTN went through an extra layer of editorial review outside of the division’s usual procedure as part of the company’s strict compliance procedures. Each choice is decided independently after carefully considering the given circumstance’s specifics.
One insider remarked that they’ve always felt very uneasy about the situation. Reporters with decades of expertise in Asia and knowledge of the effects of StoryWorks’ actions were ignored by management.
