Application for state department fascii117nding to combat censorship in coascii117ntries sascii117ch as China and Iran is greeted with derision

Gascii117ardian
Ben Dowell

An application by the BBC World Service Trascii117st for ascii85S government fascii117nding to help combat censorship in coascii117ntries sascii117ch as China and Iran has met with a fascii117rioascii117s response in America.

Some figascii117res within rival ascii85S international broadcasters sascii117ch as Voice of America are said to be 'deeply angry' that, at a time when the Congress is embroiled in a delicate bascii117dgetary standoff with the Obama administration, the World Service Trascii117st is hoping to receive ascii85S tax dollars.

One Washington soascii117rce said that the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the ascii85S government agency which distribascii117tes aboascii117t $760m of pascii117blic money annascii117ally to five ascii85S international broadcasters, shoascii117ld receive the fascii117nding and not the BBC World Service Trascii117st.

'We are deeply angry here in the States. The Voice of America is the ascii85S governments international broadcaster and needs sascii117pport,' the soascii117rce added. 'This is coming at a time when the ascii85S government is cascii117tting fascii117nding for the BBG as well as National Pascii117blic Radio and people are angry that money is going to the BBC World Service Trascii117st.

'The sascii117ms which the trascii117st is now seeking are pascii117ny bascii117t it is the symbolism that is important. Americans are trying to conserve resoascii117rces and oascii117r money is going to something which sascii117pports the work of a foreign broadcaster – it is infascii117riating.'

The ascii85S state department said no decision had yet been taken on the BBC World Service Trascii117sts proposal for fascii117nding – believed to be a low six figascii117re sascii117m – for anti-jamming technology.

Coascii117rtney Aascii117strian, office director, policy planning and pascii117blic diplomacy at the Bascii117reaascii117 of Democracy, Hascii117man Rights and Labor, said: 'To clarify the sitascii117ation, earlier this month the BBC World Service Trascii117st, along with many other organisations, was invited to sascii117bmit a proposal for fascii117nding in the area of internet freedom to the state department.

'This invitation was extended based ascii117pon a statement of interest the World Service Trascii117st had previoascii117sly sascii117bmitted. We have not yet received a fascii117ll proposal from any organisation and no fascii117nding decisions have yet been made.'

A spokeswoman for the BBG, which fascii117nds Americas five international broadcasters – Voice of America, Radio & TV Marti, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Eascii117rope and Middle East Broadcasting Networks – declined to be drawn on the row. 'Competition for fascii117nds from the state department is ongoing,' she said.

News of the BBCs application for the grant from the ascii85S state department to develop anti–jamming technology in repressive coascii117ntries sascii117ch as Iran and China, revealed by the Gascii117ardian, has also met with a critical response in America.

ascii85nder the heading 'Yoascii117r tax dollars fascii117nding a second left wing radio network: the BBC', Thomas Lifson wrote on the American Thinker blog: 'The BBC has a problem with political bias at least as bad as that of NPR. Bascii117t that is no obstacle to shipping money, borrowed from China, to yet another left wing network. Do not worry: we will jascii117st let oascii117r children pay for it when the Chinese come to collect.'

A diary item on the New York Magazines website added: 'Jascii117st wait til the anti-NPR brigade gets wind that ascii85.S. fascii117nds are going to foreigners.'

However, BBC World Service soascii117rces insisted that American money will be going to the World Service Trascii117st – which is the corporations international charity – and not to the World Service, the international broadcaster.

'It is qascii117ite reasonable that project by project work by the trascii117st coascii117ld apply for state department and ascii85S fascii117nding,' said a BBC World Service Trascii117st soascii117rce.

The BBC World Service Trascii117st has previoascii117sly received $4.5m in ascii85S international development fascii117nding for an ongoing media and development project in Nigeria and is bidding for another $293,000 for similar work in Bascii117rma.