A small tweak? Understanding media propaganda

From the front pages of national newspapers in Nigeria and Canada to the "collective amnesia" over the official invite and assorted British propaganda

A case study of how the British media routinely and deliberately falsify news with the support of media regulators Ofcom and the Press Complaints Commission.

On 27 March 2007, Ligali founder Toyin Agbetu was arrested for objecting to an abolition and slavery celebration event held at Westminster Abbey. In the aftermath of the incident Toyin made official complaints to media regulators challenging how Britain’s national media attempted to deflect international criticism and shame from the British government, monarch and church by portraying him as a lone “madman”.

The Anglican church was shamed after its own propaganda arm the Anglican Communion News Service was criticised for publishing an article called "Abolitionists Remembered in Westminster Abbey Ceremony" in which there was no mention of the many African freedom fighters whose courageous acts of self determination led to the collapse of the system of Trans-Atlantic and colonial enslavement during the Maafa.

Ofcom, the governments media regulator went as far as agreeing that Toyin’s complaint was "not frivolous" and said "there appears to be a sustainable case of unfair treatment in the programme as broadcast to answer".

Almost a year later when all legal charges against him were dropped the BBC quietly altered their online archives to reflect some of the truth. Pat Heery, UK Editor of BBC News Interactive described his corrections to the BBC website as a ‘small tweak’ and issued Toyin a personal apology for publishing the incorrect account.

However in order to save face, the BBC still choosing to mislead the public left the ‘Last Updated’ caption on the modified articles as “Tuesday, 27 March 2007” instead of January 2008 which would have revealed that the original text had been updated.

Ofcom and the Press Complaints Commission, the printed media’s own self policing quango refused to correct the rest of the false propaganda still being published using a self-defined technicality as justification for their inaction.

The Anglican church was shamed after its own propaganda arm the Anglican Communion News Service was criticised for publishing an article called "Abolitionists Remembered in Westminster Abbey Ceremony" in which there was no mention of the many African freedom fighters whose courageous acts of self determination led to the collapse of the system of Trans-Atlantic and colonial enslavement during the Maafa.

The Walk: The “lone madman" was neither mad or alone. (Photo courtesy of ©Thabo Jaiyesimi)

Some of the media propaganda

1. The Guardian newspaper claimed Toyin "demanded that the Queen make a public apology".

2. The Times added that Toyin "demanded an apology from... the Prime Minister".

3. The Daily Mirror newspaper claimed Toyin "burst in to the aisle and ran up to the pulpit in front of the stunned Archbishop of Canterbury".

4. The Daily Express newspaper claimed Toyin "jumped up from his seat in the congregation and ran in front of the altar at Westminster Abbey".

5. ITV News claimed Toyin called members of the delgation - "traitors to their race".

6. The BBC News website published an article claiming Toyin went through Abbey security checks.

7. The Sun newspaper claimed Toyin "gatecrashed" the event.

8. The Observer newspaper labelled him the "Madman who asked the Queen to say sorry"

9. The BBC News website claims "Campaigner Toyin Agbetu, 39, stood in front of the altar shouting demands for an apology at the Queen and Tony Blair at the Westminster Abbey commemoration".

In his complaint to media regulators Toyin states he "did not and would not demand an apology from anyone with regards to the Maafa. I
stated that I believed that [the British monarch and prime minister] should apologise and demeaned themselves by not doing so".

Watch the clip below to see what really happened that day.