ABSTRACT
Sir John Nott states vehemently that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) exaggerated view of its own importance prompted the network to stage debates concerning an issue which never should have been contested: namely, the merit of British claims to the Falklands. The BBC was viciously attacked in the House of Commons for failing to cooperate in selling Britain’s case to the public at home and abroad. The BBC conflict nicely illustrates the government’s tendency during the Falklands conflict to reinforce the general hyper-patriotic slant of the media. Labour’s support for the use of force in the Falklands created an awkward situation for the tabloid Daily Mirror, with which the Labour Party is closely aligned both ideologically and institutionally. During the Falklands crisis the Government, the Opposition, and most newspapers shared the assumption that the public backed the war effort unilaterally and enthusiastically, and explained their own actions accordingly.
