Friday, August 17, 2007

BBC to train staff in ethics


The BBC is to make all of its of 16,500 broadcasting staff attend mandatory ethical training courses entitled “safeguarding trust”. The decision comes after an internal review revealed it had repeatedly falsified on-air competitions, not least during some of its most high-profile charity appeals.

In a humiliating admission, Mark Thompson, director-general, announced that he was halting all future competitions across its output as he gave details of six examples of producers deceiving audiences over on-air competitions.

They included phone-ins on the Sport Relief, Comic Relief and Children in Need charity programmes in which staff posed as competition winners. Shows on the World Service and children’s digital channel CBBC also duped the audience.

Mr Thompson said there was “emerging evidence” of more deceits involving online competitions and phone-in contests. Following the review, he warned that senior staff could be suspended.

See full Article.