EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has defended its decision to produce glossy adverts for Huawei and Chinese state media, saying the contracts are important to funding its international journalism.
Sean O’Hara, the BBC’s Executive Vice President of advertising, said the corporation reports on China “without fear or favour” despite a Deadline investigation revealing that it has commercial ties to China Global Television Network (CGTN) and other organs of the Chinese government.
“The commercial income generated from advertising provides vital investment in BBC News, ensuring that we are able to sustain our global network of journalists and continue to bring independent and impartial news to the UK and beyond. I’d like to assure you that it has no influence on our editorial output,” he said.
O’Hara made the remarks in a memo to Lord David Alton, a British lawmaker and member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. Alton called on the BBC to review commercial unit BBC StoryWorks’ ads for China, arguing that it was “simply not realistic to believe that commercial relationships with the Chinese Communist Party have no bearing on behaviour.”
Alton originally wrote to Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, but his office declined to respond, instead pointing him to O’Hara, who heads up BBC StoryWorks. O’Hara’s full email is below.
The BBC executive said: “All of our activity is subject to a rigorous compliance process, and in the case of the content we have created for Huawei and for CGTN, was referred for senior editorial approval outside of the division. Each decision is made on a case-by-case basis and is considered within the context of the situation at the time.”
He added that Alton’s concerns would be fed into regular reviews of StoryWorks guidelines to determine whether they “strike the right balance between achieving commercial income and safeguarding our reputation with audiences and other key stakeholders.”
In an investigation published in December, Deadline revealed that StoryWorks has partnered with at least 18 Chinese clients, including nine state-affiliated bodies. StoryWorks produced uncritical sponsored content for Huawei, despite concerns about its role in state-sponsored surveillance.
BBC journalists questioned the wisdom of StoryWorks’ involvement with Chinese propaganda organs, such as CGTN, who have been accused of making reporting conditions more perilous for British reporters.
“I have always been extremely uncomfortable with these relationships,” said a source. “Management showed complete disregard for the views of reporters with decades of experience in the region and an understanding of the impact of what StoryWorks was doing.”
BBC Letter To Lord David Alton
Dear Lord Alton,
Thank you for your email outlining your concerns.
The commercial income generated from advertising provides vital investment in BBC News, ensuring that we are able to sustain our global network of journalists and continue to bring independent and impartial news to the UK and beyond. I’d like to assure you that it has no influence on our editorial output which, as our recent coverage shows, covers stories relating to China extensively and without fear or favour.
The BBC has robust guidelines which govern advertising on our platforms, and we take great care to ensure that all advertising content complies with them, as well as the external advertising laws and regulatory frameworks in the countries in which we operate. As you would expect, all of our activity is subject to a rigorous compliance process, and in the case of the content we have created for Huawei and for CGTN, was referred for senior editorial approval outside of the division. Each decision is made on a case by case basis and is considered within the context of the situation at the time.
Alongside my colleagues across the wider BBC, we regularly review our guidelines and consider whether they and their interpretation strike the right balance between achieving commercial income and safeguarding our reputation with audiences and other key stakeholders, and will absolutely feed your concerns here into that ongoing process.
With very best wishes
Sean