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He added that the "sponsorship of any news and current affairs TV programs (is prohibited) across the EU. Now it would appear then, that if the US State Department is going to fund BBC that would appear to be in breach of the directive."
BBC's Latest Scandal
A London Independent investigation learned how BBC's paid nominal fees of as little as one British pound for programming produced by Britain's FactBased Communications (FBC Media).
It calls itself "a European-based media and entertainment group specializing in television format creation, production and distribution."Its activities include "current affairs content for television and airlines plus original TV format creation and quality production for the UK and international television markets in the business, economy, entertainment, sport and factual genres, as well as FBC's international sales, sponsorship and distribution of syndicated programmes."
FBC's run by former Financial Times correspondent Alan Friedman and former CNN reporter John Defterios until he resigned. Its services include government and corporate propaganda.
Its clients are featured in programs made for CNBC, India, Greece, Kazakhstan, Italy, Zambia, Indonesia, Hungary, and corporations like Microsoft. Its promotional literature says it "cultivate(s)" key opinion makers, the types showing up on major media TV. It boasted that its:
"clients include heads of state, governments and ministries, special economic zones and property projects, companies and international organizations."
It produced eight Malaysia propaganda pieces for BBC without mention of being paid 17 million pounds by its government for "global strategic communications." Material portrayed Malaysia's controversial palm oil industry favorably.
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