15. The role of the BBC was criticized by the British government
Throughout the British operations in the Falklands, the British Broadcasting Corporation – the BBC – and other news organizations aired reports of events despite some heavy military censorship. The government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher roundly condemned the BBC for its coverage. Privately, Thatcher fumed over the organization and its reporting, calling it “treacherous”. She was particularly outraged over the BBC allowing those who opposed the war – and there were many in Britain – to air their views on the news broadcasts and opinion programs offered by the company. Thatcher went so far as to pressure the Home Secretary to invoke emergency powers and seize control of the BBC for the duration of the war, powers intended only for use during a nuclear attack.
The BBC established an official policy during the war not to refer to the troops and sailors fighting in the Falklands as “ours”, insisting instead to call them “British”. Thatcher’s relationship with the BBC was long antagonistic in nature, the war simply added to her complaints about the corporation. Throughout her government, she complained the BBC was biased toward the left, supported trade unions over the government positions, and was a waste of government funding. Military commanders in the Falklands often reflected her view, claiming BBC broadcasts released information that was beneficial to their Argentine enemy. At least one naval officer complained that BBC broadcasts led to the Argentine successes in bombing ships.