BBC World News banned in China for alleged ‘unfair and untruthful’ reporting

China banned BBC World News just a week after CGTN was pulled out from UK’s airwaves. The Chinese government alleged that the British news channel is not fair and truthful with its reports, so it was blocked in the country.

Moreover, China accused BBC World News of “seriously violating” programming regulations and harming the interest of the Chinese, threatening the national unity. Prior to the blocking, Beijing alleged that the British broadcaster released fake news about COVID-19 as well as its coverage on the abuse of Uighur Muslims in Northwest China.

Beijing’s retaliation over CGTN’s pullout?

As per the Daily Mail, not long after Ofcom revealed its decision regarding CGTN’s permit to broadcast, China said it admits that it made cruel representations when it said BBC reports’ about coronavirus are fake news.

Ofcom is UK’s regulatory and competition board for broadcasting and telecommunications. It is the organization that revoked CGTN’s license after its investigation concludes the Chinese network was being controlled by the Communist Party of China instead of the Star China Media Limited (SCML), which is the licensee.

The Chinese news channel was taken down last week, and Beijing threatened to retaliate. Apparently, suspending BBC World was how the communist country responded.

China's State Film, TV, and Radio Administration explained that it banned BBC World News because its reports about China gravely violated broadcast guidelines. It is also not fair with its reporting.

BBC’s response to the China ban

As a result of this issue, it was said that China will not be approving BBC News’s application to air for another year. The British networks said that it is really saddened by Beijing’s action and decision.

"We are disappointed that the Chinese authorities have decided to take this course of action,” the network said in a statement via BBC News. “BBC is the world's most trusted international news broadcaster and reports on stories from around the world fairly, impartially and without fear or favor."

BBC further said that it stands by its accurate and fair reporting of stories involving China. Thus, it is rejecting the baseless allegations that they report fake and bias news.