LOOKING BACK: BBC slanting news against Rhodesia

The Rhodesia Herald, December 2, 1965

THE chairman of the Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation, Mr J.M Helliwell said in a statement in Salisbury today that the British Government was using the British Broadcasting Corporation “to sow dissension and doubt in Rhodesia”.

He was commenting on the British announcement that a transmitter to relay BBC programmes to Rhodesia would be set up by the end of the year in Beuchanaland, 10 miles from the Rhodesian border.

“The BBC World Service is being used by the British Government to sow dissension and doubt in this country and to present to the world at large an account favourable to the British Government and unfavourable to Rhodesia,” he said.

Mr Helliwell said the fact that dissension might lead to bloodshed appeared to be of no account.

“Reports and commentators on Rhodesian affairs, while appearing to be factual and objective, are in reality highly tendentious. This is achieved by a singe policy of slanting of reported news and biased comment.

“I regret very much indeed that the BBC should have been so misused by politicians in Britain as to damage, perhaps irreparably, the goodwill and confidence that the people of this country have always had in it.” – Iana.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

• Historically, the BBC is seen as a propaganda mouthpiece of the British government. During the Rhodesian conflict, its reporting was perceived as biased by those in power who disagreed with its portrayal of events.
• Helliwell’s assertion that the British Government was using the BBC to “sow dissension and doubt” suggests a belief that British media was actively undermining the Rhodesian government’s legitimacy.
• The BBC reported extensively on human rights abuses and political developments in Rhodesia, which may have contributed to Helliwell’s perception of bias.
• Statements like Helliwell’s were likely aimed at rallying support for the Rhodesian government among its white citizens by portraying external forces as hostile. By framing the BBC’s reporting as an attempt to create division, it sought to unify public sentiment against perceived foreign interference.
• Helliwell’s statement reflects a defensive posture taken by the Smith regime in response to external criticism and highlights how media narratives can influence political dynamics during periods of conflict.