BBC newspaper review: scrutiny of the government is treason

One of the classic propaganda tricks used by tyrannical authoritarian regimes all throughout history is to attack any criticism or scrutiny of the government/ruling class as treason.

This kind of tactic is common in Putin's Russia, as well as various other dictatorial regimes, but this dangerously authoritarian propaganda technique is now being used by the British establishment to undermine scrutiny of the government, even when they've been caught out lying.

What's even more worrying than the fact that Boris Johnson has used this grotesque propaganda tactic to derail criticism of his Porton Down lies, is that the BBC is using it too.

Take a look at this clip of the right-wing Daily Telegraph columnist Jane Merrick on a BBC Newspaper review. She actually claims that "Jeremy Corbyn is taking the word of the Russian government rather than the British government." 

Jane Merrick on BBC paper review: "Jeremy Corbyn is taking the word of the Russian government rather than the British government. I think that's quite worrying."

Moral of the story: believe your government, even when it lies.

Scrutiny is treachery.

Journalism 2018. pic.twitter.com/N8oRxOCqcH

— Alex Nunns (@alexnunns) April 4, 2018

So even when a government minister has been caught out lying, the BBC are bitterly attacking the political opposition for holding him to account.

As Alex Nunns pointed out, the propaganda messages the BBC are sending out here are "believe your government, even when it lies" and "scrutiny is treachery".

Then if we actually look at what Jeremy Corbyn actually said, another thing becomes clear. Corbyn didn't "take the word of the Russian government" at all.

What Jeremy Corbyn actually did was take the word of the British Porton Down chemical weapons experts, and then point out the total incompatibility of what they said with what Boris Johnson claimed they had said.

You know what @jeremycorbyn actually said to provoke this latest intense smear-mongering campaign from Boris Johnson & the obsequious Tory sycophants in the mainstream media?

They're furiously attacking him as a traitor just for calling Boris out on the lie he trapped himself in pic.twitter.com/zQ928ZQW5I

— Tom (AAV) (@Angry_Voice) April 5, 2018

It's a massive, and spectacularly dishonest leap to portray Jeremy Corbyn taking the word of the Porton Down chemical weapons experts as "Jeremy Corbyn is taking the word of the Russian government".

If it had been just one right-wing columnist spreading this kind of distorted version of events it would have been bad enough, but all three of the people on the BBC Newspaper review adopt the same anti-Corbyn "scrutiny is treachery" stance. There's no balance at all.

The fact is that this kind of completely one-sided and brazenly dishonest propaganda attack on the political opposition is the kind of thing you'd expect to see from a state broadcaster in Putin's Russia, but it's happening now, in Britain, on the BBC.

And if we allow this kind of extreme "scrutiny of the government is treason" propaganda from the state broadcaster to go unchallenged, then we're clearly strolling down the path towards authoritarianism and tyranny.

Here is a link to the BBC complaints form. Please consider using it if you disagree with the BBC broadcasting this kind of one-sided, fundamentally dishonest, and downright dangerous "scrutiny of the government is treason" propaganda.

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