The BBC transparently about the allegations against its presenter

By Katarina Arambasic-Pivic

Photo: Pexels/Brett Jordan

July 14^th, 2023

The BBC is not the first media company to find itself at the center of a scandal due to allegations against its presenter. Every now and then, we witness similar situations, as recently the British ITV had problems of the same nature. What distinguishes the BBC from most media worldwide is its discipline to behave professionally even in absent situations, respecting professional standards even when reporting on itself and the scandal that rocked this house. Consistency in adhering to identical standards for oneself and others is rare everywhere, even in the media world, so much so that now CNN reports on the BBC’s unbiased reporting.

For those who haven’t followed the case, let’s briefly explain what kind of case it is:

• On May 18-19, the family of an unnamed young man approached the BBC with complaints about the behavior of an unknown host on this television. According to media reports, the family was unsatisfied with the management’s reaction, so they turned to the tabloid “The Sun”.
• On July 7, this British tabloid published a story that an unnamed BBC presenter had paid more than £35,000 over three years to a then-underage teenager for sexually explicit photographs.
• On July 8, several BBC presenters announced on social media that they were not “that” presenter.
• On July 9, the BBC confirmed that the presenter was suspended until the end of the investigation, which, in addition to the internal one at the television, was also started by the London police.
• On July 10, Metropolitan Police detectives held an online meeting with representatives of the BBC.
• On July 11, the BBC announced that it had been asked to stop an internal investigation because a police investigation was ongoing.
• On the morning of July 12, the media presented new accusations by another young man against the unnamed presenter.
• On the same day, the police announced that they found no evidence of a criminal act.
• On the evening of July 12, the host’s name became public after his wife said he was hospitalized due to severe mental problems. It was one of the key presenters, Huw Edwards.
• The BBC has confirmed that it will continue its internal investigation until all the facts are known. What’s more, the public broadcaster said that two employees, one current and one former, made claims that Edwards sent them “inappropriate messages” too.

A detailed timeline is available on the BBC News.

This controversy has created a challenging atmosphere on British television. Still, it has shown the commitment of the BBC to report without reservation, regularly and very objectively, on the development of the situation. What does it look like in the practice of this public broadcaster? When reporting on themselves, including on topics that threaten its reputation, BBC News journalists treat the BBC in the same way as any other organization they report on, which means they approach BBC management and the press office with requests for official comments and interviews as it is a third person. Additionally, they “jump” their managers for unanticipated statements in pursuing information, just like they would any other person. However, if journalists are offered interviews with the BBC management, they are more careful in those situations because they know their coworkers, and the public will scrutinize their work with mistrust.

On the current scandal, you can find a number of reports on the BBC News website, with different experts and from different angles. It goes so far that the public broadcaster sent its readers push notifications about the development. The TV program also regularly discussed this topic, and various guests were invited to the studio. You can also watch numerous reports on this topic on its YouTube channel. All this results from the official stance that as a public service the citizens of Britain trust and pay for, it must do its job professionally. However, one aspect of this case upsets me (proving that things can’t be flawless). On the BBC news portal, this topic is placed in the “Entertainment & Arts” web section, which is a little unsettling considering what it is about, and it certainly does not belong to entertainment or art.

Meanwhile, more information on the reporting for BBC News is becoming available. According to other media outlets, the BBC journalists looked into Edwards before the tabloid ran its initial story. All employees did not approve of this because some felt it was improper to look into a co-worker. However, the “raised eyebrow” of some did not deter other journalists from continuing their inquiry, and when “The Sun” published its report, BBC News already had the data it had acquired. Furthermore, despite the fact the police said they found no evidence of a criminal act, the BBC reported on the existence of two colleagues to whom the presenter had sent inappropriate messages.

In summary, the BBC ran a demonstration exercise to show how to perform the job professionally during the most challenging times. However, despite its professionalism, a significant portion of the British population, particularly the younger generations, opposes having to pay a mandatory fee for this public service, and it will be interesting to see how this media company continues its job over the coming decades. Younger generations are switching to streaming services and digital media because they feel that the BBC is outdated and shouldn’t be subject to different rules compared to other media.

Finally, it is important to mention that the British tabloid “The Sun” deviated from its regular practice of explicitly, and this time, it did not publish the host’s name. The reasons why it was kept secret are unknown, whether the tabloid acted on the advice of its legal department or there was something else. Still, we have to notice the difference in the behavior of one of the most controversial tabloids in the world.

On the whole, a very British way…