Boris Johnson’s government pressured the BBC to avoid using the word ‘confinement’

March 15 () –

Boris Johnson’s government pressured BBC journalists to avoid using the word ‘lockdown’ when reporting at the start of the pandemic and to be more critical of the Labor Party, ‘The Guardian’ has reported.

The editors of the British public television channel asked their journalists not to use the English ending ‘lockdown’, according to emails and WhatsApp messages to which the aforementioned newspaper has had access.

The messages, dating from 2020 to 2022, show how Downing Street pressured the BBC not to use the term ‘lockdown’ following Boris Johnson’s lockdown on March 23, 2020, claiming they were not talking about enforcing the law. and that they only urged people to stay home.

“Hello everyone. Downing Street asks if we can avoid the word ‘lockdown’. I’m told the message will be that they want to keep pushing people to stay home, but they’re not talking about enforcing the law at the moment.” , read one of the emails sent shortly after the then ‘premier’ announced the measure.

British network journalists unsuccessfully complained about the petition and therefore the BBC’s web and broadcasts of that day talked about “brakes” and “restrictions” on daily life, while other media such as the Sky chain referred to ‘confinement’.

In a WhatsApp message on Sunday 24 October 2021, an editor-in-chief called on journalists for “more critical” coverage of the Labor Party following a complaint from 10 Downing Street.

“Downing Street complains that we are not reflecting the Labor mess of ‘Plan B’ on the Internet (…) Can we increase the skepticism a little about this?”, read in the conversation.

The message was sent after the British government accused Labor of changing its position on coronavirus restrictions after presenting a ‘Plan B Covid’ with alternative restriction measures. That day, the BBC added a rubbish to the news reporting on Labour’s proposal.

The information is published days after the British chain has been the subject of a controversy after separating and reincorporating ex-soccer player Gary Lineker days later from its Match of the Day program after he compared the British immigration reform with Nazi Germany on Twitter.

The leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat party, Ed Davey, called for the resignation of the BBC president, Richard Sharp, over this incident, arguing that this controversy has demonstrated the “failure” of the leadership of the British radio and television entity, whose “independence is seriously danger”.

“We need people who uphold our proud values ​​and can resist the consistently turbulent bullying policies of the Conservative government,” he said.

The leader of the Labor opposition, Keir Starmer, has also protested the decision of the chain, which he has understood as “an act against impartiality” that has its origin in the failure of the current asylum system defended by the Conservative Party of the first Minister.