Explainer-in-brief: The latest BBC impartiality row
“Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well, I am” were the perhaps unfortunate words of BBC presenter Martine Croxall on Sunday night. She made the remark while reviewing how the papers covered Boris Johnson’s decision to step out of the leadership race.
Her comment sparked the latest squabble over the broadcaster’s impartiality, with seasoned critics like Nadine Dorries tweeting about “how deep seated the bias is” within the organisation. Some BBC viewers also took to Twitter to express their anger and said they had reported the incident to Ofcom.
The broadcaster has been strongly criticised by Conservative voices over its coverage of Boris Johnson’s last weeks in power, but it often finds itself in an impossible position being accused of bias by both groups on the left and on the right of politics.
Later in the programme, Croxall herself said she was probably breaking some “terrible due impartiality rule” by “giggling”.