The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has instructed its journalists not to describe Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as “kidnapped,” even though many international media outlets are using that term.
According to a report by Russian television channel RT, a leaked internal BBC document shows that the organisation told its reporters to avoid the word “kidnapped” when writing or speaking about Maduro’s arrest by the United States. Instead, journalists were advised to use words like “captured” or “seized.”
Earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to comment when journalists asked whether the arrest of Nicolás Maduro by the United States violated international law. After the BBC’s internal memo was leaked, the issue sparked strong criticism on social media.
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Last Saturday (January 3), a US special forces unit carried out a military operation in Venezuela. During the operation, President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken by force. They were first transported by helicopter, then by ship, and later taken to New York, where they were presented in court.
Many international media outlets have described the incident as a kidnapping, and Maduro himself told the court that he was kidnapped. However, the BBC has banned its journalists from using that word in their reporting.
The leaked BBC memo clearly instructs staff not to use “kidnapped” when referring to Maduro. Instead, they were told to use neutral terms such as “captured” or “seized,” which both mean detained.
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The editorial instruction was made public last Monday (January 5) by Owen Jones, a well-known columnist, journalist, and author with more than one million followers on social media. Jones said that he personally received the memo from BBC management.
Some analysts believe that the BBC’s language guidance may be an attempt to downplay the seriousness of the incident. As a result, the issue has drawn widespread attention in news coverage and political discussions.
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