Voice-over on BBC segment on Venezuelan food shortages does not stand up to scrutiny of video footage shown
The BBC and the UK’s other ‘mainstream’ media have been criticised by independent organisations for pushing a narrative on events in Venezuela that is entirely in line with US propaganda designed to justify regime change in the South American country.
Footage of supposedly violent government forces has turned out to show violent anti-government gangs, ‘soldiers’ have been shown to be wearing out of date uniforms and reports of food shortages have been said to be greatly exaggerated – and largely driven by US sanctions. ‘Crooked’ elections have been described by international election observers as exemplary – and far more secure than those in the UK and US. Commentators who didn’t toe the right line have quickly been replaced by others.
The BBC’s footage, in particular, has majored on anti-government protests – complete with moving voice-overs – while larger pro-government demonstrations have been ignored. When challenged, the BBC said it was ‘too difficult’ to cover both.
And today, in the midst of a ‘more of the same’ segment on the BBC News channel, the BBC showed footage of women outside a food market with narration suggesting they were ‘local mothers’ hammering on the shutters to try get food for their hungry children.
But a close examination of the footage does not support the narrative:
The rest of the segment went on to show distinctly well-fed people claiming their children were starving to death – and, of course, blaming the Maduro government. Can any of it be believed when one section can be demonstrated to be blatantly dishonest?
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
SKWAWKBOX comment:
The entire BBC narrative has been criticised by those is undermined by the dishonest presentation of a video segment that, properly examined, does not seem to show the desperate mothers of starving children that the narrator claimed it does.
Yet again it seems that the BBC is acting as a mouthpiece or stenographer for the vested interests of the Establishment in the UK and the US.
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Anyone looking to see what a previous coup looked like against Hugo chavez , snatch this . The revolution will not be televised! It’s a must watch to understand what’s going on.
Sorry forgot the link. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ulE1AYhqTw
Great piece SB and as they say “Every picture tells a story.”
The Left Govt in Venezeula has made mistakes such as not diversifying its economy but as John Pilger recently said we never hear about the good things that they have done.
Every child guaranteed a meal, in the past many poor kids couldn’t read or write and now literacy is 100% and school kids are also taught art, music and dance.
There is education too for older citizens many of whom could not previously read or write.
They have so far built 2m homes for the poor with more in the pipeline.
US sanctions (on food & medicines) have not helped and now the kind hearted US Neo-Liberal capitalists are on the border with $20m dollars of aid but they don’t tell you that they are withholding £7b of Venezeula’s oil money via Texas Oil and our Bank of England will not allow them access to their £1.5b of gold assets they hold here.
The US says that they have global support (Right Wing & Liberal Govts who when told to jump say “How High?” and how easily they sell out democracies) but only 28% of countries in the World support the US.
If the US wins it will take Venezeula’s oil, gas and probably their gold too.
With their US Puppet they will then have a bigger voice in OPEC and may try to raise oil prices to aid US Fracking Companies (who need $80 dollars a barrel to be profitable).
Then the US Imperialist White Knights will suddenly release the billions withheld for their Neo-Liberal puppet who will close programmes for the poor, privatise services but reward the rich and middle class (the bulk of protesters who are already fine having access to dollars).
So as left wing democratic socialists we should support the Maduro Left Govt and the poor and working class.
Yours in International solidarity!
Brilliant movie! Thanks for posting.
The start of another masterpiece of investigative journalism cast in the same mould as “Saving Syria’s Children” & the Dorma nerve Gas fiasco.
They produce bullshit like this because there is no agency in the UK that’s liable to hold them to account for their lies and deception as they collect their 6 figure salaries. OFCOM are worse than useless & bias against organisations and broadcasters with much more integrity such as RT & Al Jazeera. The conceited smugness of their presenters and so called journalists makes it had to watch/listen without throwing the set out of the window. They need a good clear out, sack the lot of them.
I think the citizens of the country should have an automatic right of reply on prime time TV since we pay their wages. They should be all docked a £1k for every lie and deceptive statement they make.
This is clearly another prelude to a regime change war if we don’t do something. The BBC and the MSM have been complicit in the murder of thousands of Palestinians/Yeminies/Syrians of late much or it using our money by way of taxes. Enough is enough as the rightwhingers like to say.
I’m all in favour of regime change………….in Great Britain!
“Desperate students on way to school anxious for store to open so they can buy fizzy drinks and snacks”