post
Trust says talkboard post seeking readers' views ahead of World
Service show caused offence, but apology resolved issue
Tara Conlan
Wednesday August 4 2010
guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/03/bbc-world-service-africa-have-your-say
The BBC Trust has today dismissed a complaint about a BBC News website
talkboard headline that asked "Should homosexuals face
execution?" [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/dec/16/bbc-africa-
have-your-say" title="a BBC News website talkboard headline that asked
"Should homosexuals face execution?".">a BBC News website talkboard
headline that asked "Should homosexuals face execution?].
The headline was posted on a talkboard discussion [http://
newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?
forumID=7347&sortBy=2&edition=1&ttl=20100803121449"
title="posted on a talkboard discussion ] for a World Service
programme for African listeners ahead of a draconian anti-
homosexuality bill being discussed in the Ugandan parliament last
December.
Appearing on a BBC News premoderated talkboard, the thread was
designed to provoke debate ahead of the latest edition of interactive
World Service programme Africa Have Your Say.
It asked users to send in their views to the programme, which goes out
on the World Service and is also available online.
Today the BBC Trust's editorial standards committee said that "it was
this headline, as reported on Twitter and on a wide range of news
websites and social media outlets, that dominated the complaints
received by the BBC".
The problem was exacerbated, according to the BBC Trust, after a
Twitter post misquoted the headline as "Should homosexuals be
executed?".
On 17 December, the day after the original posting, the BBC global
news director, Peter Horrocks, apologised for the headline in a blog
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2009/12/africa_debate.html"
title="headline in a blog], admitting that it was "in hindsight, too
stark".
Today in its monthly bulletin, the ESC - which is made up of BBC
trustees - said it agreed that "the language was too 'stark'" and
that "because there had not been clear signposting, offence had been
caused notwithstanding the clear editorial purpose of the material".
"However, the committee also noted that Mr Horrocks had apologised for
any offence caused. The committee therefore concluded, with regard to
the phrasing of the headline that, while it was agreed that the
initial headline was an error ? not only for its starkness but also
because it did not make clear that the headline referred specifically
to Uganda ? it recognised that BBC management had apologised promptly
and this had resolved the issue. The committee agreed no further
action was required," the ESC added.
"The committee noted that, given the global availability of the BBC
website, online content producers would now have to be more aware that
all material they produce is universally available via the internet.
Hence, headlines that might cause offence to certain audiences needed
greater contextualisation than previously."
The original post also asked: "Has Uganda gone too far? Should there
be any level of legislation against homosexuality? Should homosexuals
be protected by legislation as they are in South Africa? What would be
the consequences of this bill to you? How will homosexual 'offences'
be monitored?"
The posting prompted complaints [ http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/dec/16/bbc-africa-have-your-say"
title="posting prompted complaints ] and the BBC Pride board, composed
of gay and lesbian staff at the corporation, lobbied the World Service
to change the headline and close discussion "to minimise negative
reflection on the BBC". Eric Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk,
labelled the post "more than offensive".
guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010
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