FBC Media
Encyclopedia
FBC Media Limited is a media and public relations
company based in London
currently under administration. It specializes in television content creation, production and distribution and global communication campaigns on behalf of governments, non-governmental organizations and other companies. FBC was incorporated in 1998 and had offices in London, Mumbai
and Rome
. Among its key figures were its founder and chairman, Alan Friedman
, and president John Defterios
, currently a presenter on CNN
.
FBC produced World Business
on CNBC
which won a Grand Prix Award in Europe for best global business and financial program. It also produced One Square Mile and Develop or Die, which featured reports from developing nations, on BBC World News.
blog, named after the state
in Malaysia, reported that FBC Media was doubling as a public relations firm for Malaysian politicians. It suggested that the company carried puff pieces about Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud
in shows that it produced. Sarawak Report is edited by Clare Rewcastle Brown
who alleges that Taib and his family have profited from logging Sarawak's rainforests. Malaysian budget records showed FBC received RM
58 million to conduct a "Global Strategic Communications Campaign" for the government of Malaysia. The Malaysian government paid out a further RM42 million to FBC in 2010. Between 2009 and 2011, FBC-produced programmes One Square Mile and Develop or Die featured reports from Sarawak criticising environmentalists who oppose logging and palm oil plantations in the state.
An investigation by The Independent
further revealed that Microsoft
had contracted FBC to provide similar media coverage. Sarawak Report also claimed that the government of Kazakhstan benefited from FBC's services when Prime Minister Karim Massimov
was interviewed by John Defterios
on CNN during the World Economic Forum in January 2011.
suspended all programming made by FBC due to suspicions of conflict of interest and began an investigation into the matter. Sarawak Report also targeted CNN for criticism, claiming that Defterios used his platform on the network to give sympathetic interviews to FBC clients. Defterios was criticised for lobbing softball questions at Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in a July 2011 interview. In response, CNN clarified that Defterios had resigned from FBC in March 2011. Defterios's date of resignation is disputed by The Independent and Sarawak Report, who claim he only left FBC after the scandal broke.
The Atlantic also launched an internal investigation due to a piece by Alan Friedman
on the magazine praising the "statesmanlike debut" of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
at the World Economic Forum
in January 2011. Atlantic Media Company
President Justin Smith sat on the board of FBC Media but resigned after the scandal broke.
After the revelations by Sarawak Report, FBC took down its website which claimed: "We control blue-chip television editorial time-slots" and can "guarantee controlled messaging from A to Z on the world's leading news channels." Its promotional message also included promising "an elite audience" via BBC World News, CNN, CNBC, The Economist
, the Financial Times
, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune
. The website was replaced by a single page with basic company information.
announced that it is launching an investigation into FBC's practices.
The BBC Trust
's editorial standards committee (ESC) found that eight programmes produced by FBC were found to breach the broadcaster's conflict of interest
guidelines. While the ESC said that it had no evidence of programme sponsorship, it still concluded that FBC's production of programmes about Malaysia while having a financial relationship with the government of Malaysia was a "serious" breach of guidelines.
One of the eight programmes was made on the subject of Egypt
in March 2011 during the Arab Spring
. The Independent has claimed that FBC worked for the regime of toppled President Hosni Mubarak
.
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
company based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
currently under administration. It specializes in television content creation, production and distribution and global communication campaigns on behalf of governments, non-governmental organizations and other companies. FBC was incorporated in 1998 and had offices in London, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Among its key figures were its founder and chairman, Alan Friedman
Alan Friedman
- Education :Friedman was educated at New York University , the London School of Economics and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies .- Career :...
, and president John Defterios
John Defterios
John Kosta Defterios is an American journalist best known for his work at CNN. He is currently CNN’s Emerging Markets Editor, host of Marketplace Middle East and Global Exchange on CNN International.-Education:...
, currently a presenter on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
.
FBC produced World Business
World Business
World Business was a weekly half hour features programme on CNBC presented by Raya Abirached. The show covered recent trends in global business, technology, luxury markets and the business of sport...
on CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
which won a Grand Prix Award in Europe for best global business and financial program. It also produced One Square Mile and Develop or Die, which featured reports from developing nations, on BBC World News.
Scandal
In August 2011, the Sarawak ReportSarawak Report
The Sarawak Report is a Sarawak investigative journalism news online resource in UK founded by Clare Rewcastle Brown, sister-in-law of former UK prime minister Gordon Brown...
blog, named after the state
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
in Malaysia, reported that FBC Media was doubling as a public relations firm for Malaysian politicians. It suggested that the company carried puff pieces about Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud
Abdul Taib Mahmud
Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud is the fourth and current Chief Minister of Sarawak. He is also the state Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister. Taib is the President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu , which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition...
in shows that it produced. Sarawak Report is edited by Clare Rewcastle Brown
Clare Rewcastle Brown
Clare Rewcastle Brown is a British investigative journalist. Born in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, she is the founder of Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak which are openly critical of the Barisan Nasional-led state government of Sarawak....
who alleges that Taib and his family have profited from logging Sarawak's rainforests. Malaysian budget records showed FBC received RM
Ringgit
Ringgit mostly refers to the Malaysian ringgit, which is the local currency in Malaysia, but it can also refer to the Brunei dollar or Singapore dollar in the Malay language. The word ringgit was originally used to refer to the serrated edges of Spanish silver dollars widely circulated in the area...
58 million to conduct a "Global Strategic Communications Campaign" for the government of Malaysia. The Malaysian government paid out a further RM42 million to FBC in 2010. Between 2009 and 2011, FBC-produced programmes One Square Mile and Develop or Die featured reports from Sarawak criticising environmentalists who oppose logging and palm oil plantations in the state.
An investigation by The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
further revealed that Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
had contracted FBC to provide similar media coverage. Sarawak Report also claimed that the government of Kazakhstan benefited from FBC's services when Prime Minister Karim Massimov
Karim Massimov
Karim Qajymqanuly Massimov has served as Prime Minister in the Government of Kazakhstan since 10 January 2007.Massimov is fluent in Kazakh, Russian, Chinese, English, and Arabic. He studied in China and worked in Hong Kong where he headed Kazakhstan's trading operations. At the same time, he is...
was interviewed by John Defterios
John Defterios
John Kosta Defterios is an American journalist best known for his work at CNN. He is currently CNN’s Emerging Markets Editor, host of Marketplace Middle East and Global Exchange on CNN International.-Education:...
on CNN during the World Economic Forum in January 2011.
Response by media companies
In light of the allegations, CNBC cancelled World Business. The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
suspended all programming made by FBC due to suspicions of conflict of interest and began an investigation into the matter. Sarawak Report also targeted CNN for criticism, claiming that Defterios used his platform on the network to give sympathetic interviews to FBC clients. Defterios was criticised for lobbing softball questions at Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in a July 2011 interview. In response, CNN clarified that Defterios had resigned from FBC in March 2011. Defterios's date of resignation is disputed by The Independent and Sarawak Report, who claim he only left FBC after the scandal broke.
The Atlantic also launched an internal investigation due to a piece by Alan Friedman
Alan Friedman
- Education :Friedman was educated at New York University , the London School of Economics and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies .- Career :...
on the magazine praising the "statesmanlike debut" of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
at the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in January 2011. Atlantic Media Company
Atlantic Media Company
Atlantic Media Company is a print and online media company owned by David G. Bradley and based in the Watergate in Washington, D.C. The company publishes several prominent news magazines and services including The Atlantic and Government Executive and those belonging to its National Journal Group...
President Justin Smith sat on the board of FBC Media but resigned after the scandal broke.
Response by FBC
FBC denied all allegations. Its lawyers said the company's production and commercial divisions which "are and always have been quite separate and distinct."After the revelations by Sarawak Report, FBC took down its website which claimed: "We control blue-chip television editorial time-slots" and can "guarantee controlled messaging from A to Z on the world's leading news channels." Its promotional message also included promising "an elite audience" via BBC World News, CNN, CNBC, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
. The website was replaced by a single page with basic company information.
Investigation
On 15 November 2011, British media regulator OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
announced that it is launching an investigation into FBC's practices.
The BBC Trust
BBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
's editorial standards committee (ESC) found that eight programmes produced by FBC were found to breach the broadcaster's conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
guidelines. While the ESC said that it had no evidence of programme sponsorship, it still concluded that FBC's production of programmes about Malaysia while having a financial relationship with the government of Malaysia was a "serious" breach of guidelines.
One of the eight programmes was made on the subject of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in March 2011 during the Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
. The Independent has claimed that FBC worked for the regime of toppled President Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
.
External links
- Official site
- Original official site maintained by Sarawak ReportSarawak ReportThe Sarawak Report is a Sarawak investigative journalism news online resource in UK founded by Clare Rewcastle Brown, sister-in-law of former UK prime minister Gordon Brown...