John Drewery Letter of Complaint to the BBC

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19 November 2007
BBC Complaints
PO Box 1922
GLASGOW G2 3WT

Dear Sir/Madam

RE: THE TRILLION DOLLAR REVOLUTIONARY: THIS WORLD –BBC2 -19 NOVEMBER

I write to protest strongly regarding the lack of balance in the above programme.

A large part of the programme was a distorted image of present day Venezuela, but I shall limit myself to the three areas I focus on below.

  • I will pass over the description of Venezuela as a “smallish country” and progress to John Sweeney’s interview asking bus travellers if they agreed with giving London £15 millions in fuel. This is NOT a gift as your reporter knows and hinted at elsewhere in the programme, but in exchange for the Greater London Authority providing advice in areas such as tourism, policing and environmental initiatives. Why could he not find time to look at how Venezuelan money has, amongst other benefits, helped 750,000 Latin Americans and Caribbeans to retain their sight with cataracts operations?
  • Secondly while conceding that the government had increased school rolls and provided free food to pupils, John Sweeney stated that he found little evidence of new school developments. I know from my personal visits that the country is awash with building and infrastructural development projects, from new schools and new housing to replace the ranchos, through to bridges and new railway and metro development.
  • Thirdly it was regrettable that there was no attempt to analyse the new constitutional proposals. These include
  • a 6-hour working day and a reduction of 8 hours in the maximum working week to 36 hours.
  • enhanced role for the country’s Afro-Venezuelan heritage to combat continuing discrimination
  • improved access to social security for the 40 per cent of Venezuelans who work in the informal sector.


I remain committed to the continuation of adequately financed public service broadcasting in this country, but this programme’s new low in broadcasting standards strains that commitment. I look forward to your reply on this serious matter in the near future.

Yours faithfully

JOHN M DREWERY
Executive Committee Member
Venezuela Information Centre
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