BBC staff told impartiality means they must represent ‘unpalatable views'

Telegraph

6 days ago

BBC staff have been told they must be willing to represent 'unpalatable' views.
The broadcaster has released updated editorial guidelines stating that a range of views, including 'minority' opinions, should be taken into account to ensure output is impartial.
Updated clauses tell staff to be aware of potentially silenced opinions that the public may be 'reluctant to express', or opinions rarely expressed because 'opportunity to do so is limited'.
Staff have been told to do so even if some groups might find these opinions offensive.
The guidance reminds journalists that impartial output may 'require the inclusion of opinions which some […] communities or groups may argue ought not to be included, because they find them unpalatable or offensive'.
The revisions update 2019 guidance, and come after years of 'cancel culture', which some believe enforced a mainstream consensus on issues such as immigration and gender identity.
The BBC itself upheld a complaint against presenter Justin Webb in 2024 when he called trans women 'males' on air, a biological definition of gendered terms which has since been supported by a Supreme Court ruling.
Last year the Migration Observatory in Oxford urged the BBC to better reflect the public views on immigration.
The organisation claimed that some BBC journalists were anxious that reporting on concerns about migration could appear 'hostile' to migrants.
It comes after the BBC backed Martine Croxall, the news presenter, when she corrected her script from 'pregnant people' to 'women' live on-air.
The UK Supreme Court ruling in April was said to have encouraged staff to speak up for women.
Earlier this month, BBC bosses met to discuss how best to rebuild trust with Right-leaning audiences.
This followed Reform UK's success in the local elections, and immigration becoming a key political issue after both legal and illegal migration reached record highs.
BBC staff have been told in fresh guidance that they should be aware that 'opinion may change over time', and to try to accurately reflect altered public opinion in their coverage
However, guidance makes clear that while the consensus should be questioned and not presumed, fringe opinions do not need to be given the same weight as viewpoints that are backed up by greater evidence.
The new editorial guidelines, updated roughly every five years, have been welcomed by Tim Davie, the director-general.
He said that they would 'provide editorial values and standards that make the BBC distinctive and reliable'.
He added in a foreword: 'The BBC is committed to freedom of expression but this doesn't mean that anything goes. In a world of misinformation and disinformation, the BBC's editorial values of accuracy, impartiality and fairness are more crucial than ever.
'So too, in the context of the ugliness of much social media, is the fundamental decency embodied in sections like Harm and Offence or Children and Young People.'
These sections continue to warn staff to be mindful of broadcasting views that could be considered offensive, and to ensure there are appropriate content warnings on iPlayer.
Reflecting the emergence of new technology, the guidance also contains new rules on the use of AI.
One new rule stipulates: 'A senior editorial figure must be responsible and accountable for overseeing the deployment and continuing use of any AI.
'They should seek advice from Editorial Policy, who may consult the AI Risk Advisory Group, before any decision to deploy the AI.'