BBC Chinese Connection - Thread!
#BBCDocumentary #BBC
#BBCDocumentary #BBC
https://twitter.com/meghupdates/status/1620381099217289219
BBC StoryWorks is the content studio of BBC Global News!
BBC StoryWorks has partnered with at least 18 Chinese clients since launching in 2015, including nine state-affiliated bodies.
StoryWorks has produced tourism campaigns for state-owned media outlets
BBC StoryWorks has partnered with at least 18 Chinese clients since launching in 2015, including nine state-affiliated bodies.
StoryWorks has produced tourism campaigns for state-owned media outlets
Including partnering with China Global Television Network (CGTN) after it was banned from broadcasting in the UK.
StoryWorks is a loyal partner to Huawei despite the tech firm being sanctioned by U.S. and UK authorities amid national security fears.
StoryWorks is a loyal partner to Huawei despite the tech firm being sanctioned by U.S. and UK authorities amid national security fears.
Senior BBC journalists have appealed directly to managers to sever StoryWorks’ ties to China but said their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
Sources close to the BBC have voiced anxiety at the corporation doing business with state media organs have attacked British journalism.
Sources close to the BBC have voiced anxiety at the corporation doing business with state media organs have attacked British journalism.
StoryWorks was established in 2015 and has described itself as a commercial content studio with “newsroom values.” Sitting within BBC Studios, it produces sponsored content for brands and megaphones it across the BBC’s ad-funded services BBC. com
and the World News channel, as well as on social media.
Pattinson articulated this in an interview in 2017, telling the Native Advertising Institute: “In an era of so-called fake news … we are providing the safest possible environment for the brands. We are very protective of
Pattinson articulated this in an interview in 2017, telling the Native Advertising Institute: “In an era of so-called fake news … we are providing the safest possible environment for the brands. We are very protective of
ourself as an organization, and that means that we are also protective of the brands that we work with.”(Pattinson is former BBC journalist)
The BBC does not publish StoryWorks’ earnings and the commercial unit has never been mentioned in the broadcaster’s annual report.
The BBC does not publish StoryWorks’ earnings and the commercial unit has never been mentioned in the broadcaster’s annual report.
It contributed to BBC Studios’ overall advertising revenue of £294 million ($360 million) in 2022, though insiders insisted
StoryWorks’ income was only a small proportion of this total. The BBC refused to disclose how much money StoryWorks makes from its contracts in China.
StoryWorks’ income was only a small proportion of this total. The BBC refused to disclose how much money StoryWorks makes from its contracts in China.
StoryWorks has won contracts from at least 18 organizations in China, according to social media analysis, which excludes back door deals. Based on social media activity alone, China was StoryWorks’ third largest territory by No. of clients, behind only the U.S. and UK.
Among the Chinese brands who have partnered with StoryWorks are Alibaba, China’s equivalent of Amazon; Lenovo, the consumer electronics giant; telecoms company Tecno Mobile; and Roborock, a maker of robot vacuum cleaners.
But one Chinese company stands alone in its loyalty to StoryWorks. Huawei has been one of the BBC commercial unit’s most consistent customers, producing several campaigns for the tech giant since 2016.
StoryWorks’ dealings with Huawei have been a lightning rod for critics. BBC journalists have bristled at the connection, with one telling BuzzFeed News in 2019 that they “nearly threw up” after watching a video made for Huawei.
What is less well known is StoryWorks’ dealings with Chinese organizations with unequivocal links to Xi Jinping’s regime. The company has worked with at least nine state-owned brands or local government tourism agencies in the past six years.
These include CGTN, the international arm of state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV); news agency Xinhua; and China Southern Airlines.
The BBC commercial unit created a feature for CGTN in January, less than a year after it was barred from UK airwaves.
The BBC commercial unit created a feature for CGTN in January, less than a year after it was barred from UK airwaves.
CGTN serves as a cornerstone of Xi’s so-called “publicity front” and the channel has a mission to reach audiences in the West. It was banned in the UK last year because Ofcom, the media regulator, was unable to establish its independence from the Communist Party.
Ofcom also fined CGTN £225,000 ($274,000) for failing to cover protests in Hong Kong fairly and airing the forced confession of Peter Humphrey, a British citizen.
Will share more in part 2 of the thread later tomorrow
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Will share more in part 2 of the thread later tomorrow
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Credit - Collated research from verified sources helps quoting the statements above.
Thanking all for amplifying this. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!
Thanking all for amplifying this. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!
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