Voice-over on BBC segment on Venezuelan food shortages does not stand up to scrutiny of video footage shown

Close-ups from BBC News footage

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government forces has turned out to show violent anti-government gangs, ‘soldiers’ have been shown to be wearing out of date uniforms and reports of food shortages have been said to be greatly exaggerated – and largely driven by US sanctions.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 Commentators who didn’t toe the right line have quickly been replaced by others.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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