BBC World Information Barred In Mainland China, Radio Dropped
BEIJING (Reuters) – China barred Britain’s BBC World Online News Action from its tv networks on Friday and Hong Kong’s public broadcaster mentioned it will cease relaying BBC World Service radio, per week after Britain revoked Chinese language state television’s broadcast licence.
China’s National Radio and tv Administration stated BBC World News’ experiences on China had “seriously violated” a requirement to be “truthful and fair”, harmed China’s pursuits and undermined nationwide unity.
Radio Tv Hong Kong (RTHK), the publicly funded broadcaster in the former British territory, mentioned it was suspending the relay of BBC radio news programming.
The International Correspondents’ Membership of China (FCCC) said it appeared that China was attempting to pressure international media to follow the Chinese language government line, while China’s embassy in London accused the BBC of “relentless fabrication”.
RTHK’s Radio 4 (R4) station had carried BBC World Service radio for eight hours every evening and the R1 station had carried a one-hour BBC programme as soon as every week.
The private Hong Kong platforms Cable Tv and Now Television have been still carrying BBC World Information as of Friday.
Earlier than the ban, BBC World Information had not been included in most Tv packages in mainland China, but had been accessible in some resorts and properties.
Associated Coverage
Two Reuters journalists in Beijing discovered that the channel had disappeared.
The BBC, which is a public corporation, stated it was “the world’s most trusted worldwide information broadcaster and stories on tales from all over the world fairly, impartially and without worry or favour”.
British foreign minister Dominic Raab known as the ban “an unacceptable curtailing of media freedom”, including:
“China has a few of probably the most extreme restrictions on media and internet freedoms throughout the globe, and this latest step will only damage China’s fame within the eyes of the world.”
China’s embassy in London responded with a stinging statement, attributed to an unnamed spokesperson:
“BBC’s relentless fabrication of ‘lies of the century’ in reporting China runs counter to the skilled ethics of journalism, and reeks of double standards and ideological bias,” it said.
“The so-called ‘media freedom’ is nothing but a pretext and disguise to churn out disinformation and slanders against different nations.”
TIGHTENING GRIP
RTHK’s choice underlines how Beijing’s tightening grip on Hong Kong extends to media.
Final yr, when Beijing expelled a couple of dozen journalists working for U.S. information retailers, it also barred them from relocating to Hong Kong.
RTHK, founded in 1928 and typically compared with the BBC, is the only impartial, publicly funded media outlet on Chinese soil and has a charter guaranteeing editorial independence.
It had angered both the Hong Kong authorities and Beijing with its coverage of anti-authorities protests that shook town in 2019.
U.S. State Division spokesman Ned Worth advised an everyday briefing on Thursday that it was “troubling that as (China) restricts retailers and platforms from operating freely in China, Beijing’s leaders use free and open media environments overseas to promote misinformation”.
