BBC journalists were asked not use the word 'lockdown' in March 2020 when tough covid restrictions began, leaked emails and WhatsApp messages have revealed. The Guardian reports tonight (March 14) that editors urged reporters to avoid using the word and to be more critical of the Labour Party's stance.
The revelations follow the recent row over impartiality at the corporation, following Gary Lineker's tweet criticising the Government's immigration policy, and the BBC chairman's alleged facilitation of an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson. Leaked messages seen by the Guardian, dated from 2020 to 2022, appear to show attempts made to influence BBC reporting by Downing Street.
The newspaper reveals an email sent on March 23, 2020, when lockdown was first announced. Marked 'IMPORTANT ADVISORY - language re broadcast', the email said: "Hi all – D st are asking if we can avoid the word ‘lockdown’.
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"I’m told the message will be that they want to keep pushing people to stay at home but they are not talking about enforcement at the moment" Rival broadcasters and newspapers instead referred to 'lockdown', while the BBC initially used 'restrictions', the Guardian reports.
Further leaked messages suggest BBC reporters were asked to 'turn up the scepticism' on Labour's stance on restrictions in October 2021, and to warn against reporters 'misinterpreting' a speech last year in which Boris Johnson compared Ukraine's position against Russia to the Brexit vote. A BBC spokesperson told the Guardian: “The BBC makes its own independent editorial decisions and none of these messages show otherwise.
“Like all news organisations, we are frequently contacted by representatives from all political parties. Selective out of context messages from a colleagues’ WhatsApp group and email do not give an accurate reflection of the BBC’s editorial decision making.”
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