BBC World Service cuts 'help Russia spread its propaganda' | Politics | News

A Russian public broadcaster has replaced the BBC in war-torn Lebanon, as cuts to the global service provide Britain's enemies with an opportunity to broadcast their propaganda.

The Russian news agency Sputnik operates in Beirut on the frequency used by the BBC Arabic radio until it closed last year.

BBC insiders say it's part of a trend that has seen the channel cut services across the world at the same time Russian and Chinese media are growing, with both countries spending between $6 billion and $8 billion on global information.

Sputnik and the RT television channel, formerly Russia Today, are owned and operated by the Russian government and have been banned in the UK and across the EU. They are accused of producing propaganda favorable to Russian President Putin, including supporting the invasion of Ukraine, while spreading lies intended to promote division in the West.

On September 17, when hundreds of pagers exploded across Lebanon in an attack on Hezbollah, Russian output in the country included reports on developing relations between Cairo and Moscow and criticism of both weights , two measures adopted by the West in terms of human rights. One interviewee claimed that ISIS and other terrorists are tools in the hands of the United States.

The BBC has removed radio broadcasts in languages ​​including Persian, spoken in Iran, as well as Arabic, Chinese, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Hindi, Indonesian, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali, although some services remain online.

The broadcaster said the job cuts, which resulted in around 382 job losses, were imposed on it after the license fee was frozen for two years, resulting in annual savings of €28.5 million . The World Service is mainly financed by license fees but also receives a grant of 104.4 million from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, Russia and China are filling the void in a war-torn Middle East, as well as Africa and Latin America. Sputnik sets up its African headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and RT has new offices in South Africa and Nigeria.

A study from Kings College London warns that RT and Sputnik are using information as a weapon, publishing negative articles on migration and Islam in an attempt to create conflict, while touting Russian power and claiming that criticism of the Kremlin is caused by Russophobia.

The BBC raised its concerns in a submission to MPs, saying: We face fierce competition from state actors with funding that exceeds the investments of the World Service by an order of magnitude. They are devoting enormous resources to investing in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, deploying technology as a tool of disinformation and disruption.

The broadcaster said: Our world is becoming more and more chaotic and divided. There is a fundamental need for the public to be able to access information they can trust. »

Jonathan Munro, global director of BBC News, said: “In an increasingly conflict-ridden world, the BBC World Service plays a vital role in global stability and security by providing audiences with reliable, independent news and analysis on world events.

“From our BBC Persian team in exile covering Iran to our emergency and enhanced services for Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, we are fighting disinformation and meeting the expectations of audiences in need. Sadly, “We see that where the BBC has been forced to withdraw, particularly where there is a lack of independent information, state-funded media are investing and growing.”

A UK government spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to the success of the BBC World Service, which continues to provide essential, impartial and accurate news coverage and programming, reaching millions of people around the world, and which plays an essential role in the fight against disinformation.