Reference News, January 7 report - According to a leaked internal memo uploaded online by British journalist and Guardian columnist Owen Jones, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has instructed its reporters to avoid describing the U.S. kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as "kidnapping" and instead use less emotionally charged terms such as "seized".
Maduro was captured during a U.S. raid on Caracas over the weekend and taken to New York to face trial on drug trafficking and weapons-related charges in the United States. During his first court appearance, Maduro denied the charges and insisted he had been "kidnapped".
However, according to the leaked memo, BBC management now "effectively prohibits... journalists from reporting that the U.S. 'kidnapped' Maduro", with acceptable terms being "seized" and "captured".
This incident occurred after British Prime Minister Starmer refused to answer questions about whether the U.S. attack on Venezuela violated international law, emphasizing that the UK always prioritizes "a peaceful democratic transition".
The leaked memo will intensify the controversy surrounding the BBC's editorial policies. In November last year, the BBC issued a formal apology after a program aired an edited version of Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Biden's election results from being certified.
At that time, the BBC admitted that the editing gave the public a misleading impression that President Trump had directly called for violent action. This scandal led to the resignation of several senior staff members and Trump filed a defamation lawsuit seeking $1 billion in damages. (Translated by Cao Weiguo)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7592619292647047706/
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