BBC Rejects George Orwell Statue

For those who think the BBC is the overseas version of our own mainstream media, there might be reason to pause in this opinion.  A proposed George Orwell statue, funded by the George Orwell Memorial Trust and by numerious British journalists, to be erected on outside the BBC offices has been denied by the BBC.  Their reported reason is that Orwell was “too leftwing.”

The real reason, given the liberal tinge of the organization, might be how Orwell used his wartime experiences as a BBC broadcaster for source material.  From 1941-43, Orwell produced anti-fascist broadcasts specifically to India.

When writing Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell had his character Winston Smith be a propaganda broadcaster for Big Brother.  He also used the conference room for staff meetings at the BBC, designated room 101, for the torture chambers used by the regime.

Orwell, however, didn’t dislike the BBC.  He thought their wartime censorship reasonable and didn’t have qualms about any editing of his broadcasts.  His main reason for quitting was because he felt that his broadcasts were reaching a large Indian audience and he also wanted time to write.