Degrees of separation

Regular readers will know that Samira Ahmed holds the opinion that UKIP (especially Nigel Farage) shouldn't be given prominence by the BBC. She's repeatedly talked, tweeted and written about her view on that matter over the past couple of years or so. Therefore, it always feels a bit uncomfortable when she reads out identical points of view from BBC viewers on Newswatch. 

This week's edition featured two complainants in the wake of Henry Bolton's travails as UKIP leader and a News at One report about it on Monday. Samira noted that "plenty of attention was given to UKIP" over the story, with its leader  being "under pressure since news broke of his relationship with ex-model Jo Marney and the racist messages she had sent":

Sheila Grant was watching that and wondered, "Why on earth is UKIP the lead story on the News at One, reporting live from Westminster? This party has no MPs and following the referendum no longer has any relevance in this country as can be seen by the haemorrhaging of their support and constantly changing leaders". 

And Dave Noble agreed: "Given the current farce that is the UKIP leadership wrangling, I am at a loss as to why it is getting such prominence. Can the BBC please now stop giving UKIP such a platform - unless of course the Corporation sees it purely as a vehicle for public entertainment, in which case please put UKIP on BBC3 in a comedy slot, thanks".

Maybe Fran Unsworth could send her a "reminder" that she shouldn't report on the story if she has “expressed a view”? Or, as when Jane Garvey was replaced by a non-BBC interviewer on Woman's Hour when the programme interviewed Carrie Gracie, maybe Samira could mysteriously disappear for a minute during Newswatch any time a complaint about UKIP being given a platform is aired and, say, hand over to Paddy O'Connell (poor Paddy being permanently kept in the Newswatch cupboard for all such emergencies) and then resume her role immediately after that UKIP item has finished? That sounds sensible and practical, doesn't it?

Incidentally, Samira Ahmed was factually incorrect in describing Jo Marney as an "ex-model". She's still a model.