Following on from the last post, the introduction to the section of the BBC Editorial Guidelines on the BBC's use of language regarding terrorism ends with the following passage:
For similar reasons, it is also usually inappropriate to use, without attribution, terms such as "liberate", "court martial" or "execute" in the absence of a clear judicial process.
So Hugh Sykes was clearly in breach of the BBC's editorial guidelines when he said the following during his recent Roubaix report:
I had to shelter from wild wind and rain and chose a cafe on the Grand Place, opposite the tall, elegant Hotel de Ville, Roubaix town hall. The Charlie Hebdo executions are still a shock here. Disbelief takes time to retreat.
Will Mr Kafala be having a word with him?
The word "disbelief" is odd in context. I think most French people had been fearing an attack like that (remember the pre-Christas build up in lone wolf attacks) and when it happened believed it all too clearly. This wasn't like 9-11 coming "out of the blue" as most people were concerned.
ReplyDeleteIf that is not a sacking offence at the BBC what is ?
ReplyDelete