The BBC’s Tim Willcox caused a wave of revulsion and outrage in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo and kosher supermarket massacres in Paris. Many complaints were sent to the BBC including one from HonestReporting.
We’ve continued to pursue the complaint through the drawn-out BBC process and we can share with you the latest email to HonestReporting from the BBC’s Editorial Complaints Unit.
Due to the large quantity of complaints and issues raised, the Editorial Complaints Unit has expedited the process by dealing with the complaints in their totality and drawing up a summary of the issues that will be investigated:
- That the question put by Tim Willcox to an interviewee was misleading in that it linked the Paris killings in a kosher supermarket with events in the Middle East;
- That the question was offensive and anti-Semitic in that it suggested that all Jews were responsible for the actions of Israel;
- That the question was offensive and anti-Semitic in that it suggested that Jews were responsible for the murder of other Jews;
- That the question was offensive because it trivialized the Holocaust;
- That the question displayed bias against Israel;
- That Tim Willcox’s comment “But you understand everything is seen from different perspectives” suggested there was a justification for the killings;
- That the interviewee was not treated with appropriate respect;
- That the terms of the apology from Tim Willcox were inadequate and failed to address what was inaccurate and offensive about his remarks;
- That posting an apology on a private Twitter account was inadequate and that it should have been published by the BBC.
The Editorial Complaints Unit then explains that the relevant guidelines against which these should be considered are those concerning Accuracy, Impartiality and Harm and Offence (particularly relating to Portrayal).
The Accuracy guidelines say that:
All BBC output, as appropriate to its subject and nature, must be well sourced, based on sound evidence, thoroughly tested and presented in clear, precise language. We should be honest and open about what we don’t know and avoid unfounded speculation. Claims, allegations, material facts and other content that cannot be corroborated should normally be attributed.
The Impartiality guidelines say:
Impartiality lies at the heart of public service and is the core of the BBC’s commitment to its audiences. It applies to all our output and services – television, radio, online, and in our international services and commercial magazines. We must be inclusive, considering the broad perspective and ensuring the existence of a range of views is appropriately reflected.
The Agreement accompanying the BBC Charter requires us to do all we can to ensure controversial subjects are treated with due impartiality in our news and other output dealing with matters of public policy or political or industrial controversy. But we go further than that, applying due impartiality to all subjects. However, its requirements will vary.
The term ‘due’ means that the impartiality must be adequate and appropriate to the output, taking account of the subject and nature of the content, the likely audience expectation and any signposting that may influence that expectation.
Due impartiality is often more than a simple matter of ‘balance’ between opposing viewpoints. Equally, it does not require absolute neutrality on every issue or detachment from fundamental democratic principles.
The guidelines on Portrayal say that:
We aim to reflect fully and fairly all of the United Kingdom’s people and cultures in our services. Content may reflect the prejudice and disadvantage which exist in societies worldwide but we should not perpetuate it. In some instances, references to disability, age, sexual orientation, faith, race, etc. may be relevant to portrayal. However, we should avoid careless or offensive stereotypical assumptions and people should only be described in such terms when editorially justified.
(The relevant Editorial Guidelines can be seen in full here.)
We have been notified that the BBC Editorial Complaints Unit aims to publish the outcome of its investigation by February 23. We appreciate the seriousness with which the BBC’s ECU is treating this matter and we look forward to learning its conclusions next month.
