Any pressure put on the BBC in terms of its reporting will be all the more effective if the arguments make reference to these guidelines. It would also be very interesting to know what communications have recently taken place between the BBC and the MoD, and what exactly the BBC considers a 'satisfactory reason' for withholding information (see paragraph 6).

INTRODUCTION

Any time of military conflict is a testing period for broadcasters. As an international broadcaster the BBC has a special responsibility as audiences, both in the United Kingdom and across the world, turn to us in large numbers for accurate news and information. They look to the BBC to help them make sense of those events by providing impartial analysis and by offering on our programmes a range of views and opinions, including the voices of opposition.

Matters involving risk to, and loss of, life need handling with the utmost regard to the mood and feeling of our audiences. We must be sensitive to their feelings and fears. Many will have relatives or friends involved in the conflict. We will need to handle painful stories sensitively and with care.

We must avoid giving any impression that this is a war against Islam. The position taken by Osama Bin Laden and other Muslim extremists is not shared by the majority of Muslims who would argue that it is contrary to Islamic teaching. It is right to explore the reasons why the extremists take the line that they do but we must be careful not to fuel the flames of prejudice and intolerance.

Channel and network controllers and schedulers will also want to keep under review the nature of programming, ranging from films, drama, comedy and music, which might be thought inappropriate in the light of hostilities.

WITHHOLDING INFORMATION

Our audiences should have confidence that they are being told the truth. But we do not want to add to the dangers facing the armed forces. At times we will need to be sensitive to operational military requirements. Whenever possible, we should explain the rules under which we are operating:

„h If it is necessary to withhold information, it should be withheld for no longer than is absolutely necessary. We will be prepared to withhold information for a while at the request of the military authorities in the field or of the MoD so long as they give us satisfactory reasons for our doing so. (These reasons must be mainly to do with danger to ongoing or intended operations; it may be the details of a particular troop movement, the nature of its armaments or its location. Usually it will only be the detail which is to be withheld).

„h We should be sensitive to matters of taste but these are for us to decide, not for the MoD or the operational forces.
ACKNOWLEDGING THE WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION

„h Whenever practicable, we should be honest and open with our audiences when information has been withheld and should give the reason for it.

„h Where we do withhold significant information for operational reasons we should seek to give that information as soon as the reason for holding it back has gone. Some facts may have to be withheld for only a few hours; some for longer

„h If reports have been censored or monitored or if we have withheld information, we should say so. In doing so we should attempt to indicate to the audience why we have done so.

„h Normal BBC newsgathering practice is that we will attempt to report from every relevant location. However if the restrictions on reporting from some places become so great as to prevent us from presenting a meaningful picture then the BBC will wish to withdraw from such places until such time as circumstances change.

REPORTING CASUALTIES

The BBC has adopted a strong general rule that, as far as is reasonably possible, next of kin should not learn of death or injury from a BBC programme, bulletin or website. This should apply equally in times of war and will usually mean withholding personal details of the dead and injured until we can be sure that the next of kin have been informed.

„h Any exception to withholding such information should be referred to the Head of Newsgathering, or in the case of National and Regional Broadcasting to Nigel Kay, or for World Service Language Services, the Director of News, World Service, and should normally only be taken when the information has already been published widely in Britain or there are over-riding reasons of public interest to publish
„h In order not to jeopardise a rescue mission, we may be asked to withhold for a while information about an aircraft loss, even when next of kin have been told. We should normally observe such a request. Any circumstances where this may not apply should also be referred to Head of Newsgathering or Nigel Kay, National and Regional Broadcasting, or Director News World Service.

SOURCING REPORTS

Reports should normally make it absolutely clear where their information has come from, and attribute it accordingly:

„h Reporters and correspondents in the battle areas will often be reporting what they have not themselves seen. That should be made evident.

„h We will have a great deal of information from both military and various governments¡¦ briefings. That too should be made evident and tested as to its reliability.

„h Information or pictures from any other source should be labelled as such.

„h When looking for confirmation or for a second source for unconfirmed reports, editors must be acutely aware of the extent to which information can appear to be confirmed by a second source when in fact that second source is merely reporting what the first has said.

„h Beware of speculation, and overstated claims from all sides. Context is essential.

LANGUAGE OF REPORTING

The way we report is as important as the reliability of what we report. We have to be both objective and compassionate. Our main job is to provide information without emotional gloss but when we are reporting human ordeal or distress, it is right to be sensitive to feelings:

„h Tone matters a great deal. Sombre news should be reported sombrely.
„h For the sake of clarity, it will usually be appropriate to say ¡§British troops¡¨ especially as so many BBC reports are broadcast globally.

CASUALTIES: TERMINOLOGY

When reporting casualties we should be as precise as possible:

„h If we know people have been killed as well as some injured refer to ¡§dead and injured¡¨.
„h Say ¡§casualties¡¨ when we are uncertain as to whether or not there are deaths.
„h We should be thoroughly precise as soon as we can, as in ¡§Three people were killed and twenty injured¡¨.

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EXPERTS

Programmes must take care over contributions especially from experts, including retired military people. We must avoid inviting such contributors to speculate about the details or options of future military action in such a way that might inadvertently compromise those options.

SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY

We should be circumspect about pictures of and accounts of injured, dying and dead combatants. Consideration must be given to the dignity of the individuals concerned:

„h Pictures should not normally be close up.
„h Remember too that pictures may identify individuals, even at a distance, before next-of-kin know.
„h Harrowing actuality and pictures have to be justified by special reasons but we should not sanitise the awful realities of war
„h Warnings should be given beforehand if a report will cause unusual distress.

Any interviews with military people fresh from the battlefields have to be undertaken with care. Rigorous questioning will often be inappropriate and we must try to make sure not to intrude on people who are disorientated or in a state of shock.

INTERVIEWS WITH RELATIVES

Interviews with relatives of those killed or injured need especially sensitive handling.

Under normal circumstances all approaches for such interviews should be made through the MoD or through a third party. Normally all interviews and approaches will be pooled with other broadcasters:

„h While the MoD, either nationally or locally, will normally be the prime point of contact, if programmes receive direct approaches they can take them up. The same applies to approaches made to them through third parties other than the MoD such as, say the local vicar, a local support group or a close friend.

„h Direct approaches by programmes to next-of-kin or other close relatives are to be avoided. Exceptions must be approved by Head of Newsgathering, or Nigel Kay.

„h Audiences are sometimes angered by such interviews where they do not know the circumstances under which they were obtained. Sometimes a few words of explanation in the introduction or the report may help prevent such misunderstandings.

„h Bereavement and grief are part of the inevitable effects of war and we should not hide the fact. But tearful and emotional interviews should be shown with due consideration for the interviewee.


„h We should not be intrusive even when grief is publicly displayed. We must not dwell excessively on particular grief-stricken scenes. We must try not to be part of a media crush involving bereaved or distressed people. Whenever possible camera crews should keep their distance and editors should take great care in the editing of such pictures. Live transmission requires particular restraint. (See below).

PRISONERS OF WAR

We must not broadcast interviews with anyone connected with missing service personnel who may be prisoners of war. Such material might be highly prejudicial to the safety of PoWs because it may be used by interrogators.

INTERVIEWING AIR CREWS

Current MoD advice is that aircrew or other service personnel who might be captured should not be identified with a particular operation without first seeking advice from the Ministry. They further urge editors not to publish any information, from whatever source, which might identify these personnel or give details of their personal backgrounds (e.g. details of their families, home-base or home-town addresses or other information, including photographs which could assist an interrogator in the event of capture.)

Any proposal which might appear to go beyond the terms of this advice should be referred in the first instance to Head of Newsgathering.

OPPOSITION TO WAR

Enabling the national debate remains a vital task: the concept of impartiality still applies. All views should be reflected in due proportion to mirror the depth and spread of opinion. We must reflect any significant opposition in the UK (and elsewhere) to the military conflict and allow their arguments to be heard and tested. Those who speak and perhaps demonstrate against war are to be reported as part of the national and international reality.

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

Chemical and biological weapons evoke special horror. We must be careful when referring to them:

„h If we say they have been used we should be absolutely certain of the fact.
„h If their use is rumoured only our reports must not be alarmist or excited.
„h The possibility of their use is to be discussed calmly.

24 HOUR NEWS SERVICES

Continuous news services, especially on television, raise additional considerations during a widespread conflict.

At times, live or recently recorded pictures and reports may be available which show scenes of death or injury. It is essential that editors allow sufficient time for considered editorial judgement before transmitting such pictures or reports. Our audiences will expect fast and up to the minute reports on our continuous services but above all they will expect us to meet our obligations to decency, and informing next-of-kin.

With scenes of death and injury, production teams will need to consider carefully the cumulative effect of the repeated use of such images, especially if they are included in headline sequences and in regular news updates.

In fast-moving situations, and in seeking confirmation that a story is true, editors will need to be especially careful to ensure that they are not relying on the same source re-cycled (see earlier section on Sourcing Reports).

BBC NEWS ONLINE/BBC ONLINE

These guidelines also apply to the BBC website, where warnings should also be given about images which users might find upsetting. Care must be taken over the text used to describe horrific events.

Message boards and End User generated content:

Message boards may need to be pre-moderated given the risk that a message board could be hijacked for extremist views or misleading or untrue reports.

Hosts of message boards need to be alert to the increased editorial care needed at a time of hostilities.

Escalation Procedures:

BBC New Media already has escalation procedures in place to ensure that inappropriate material is removed without delay. During a period of conflict, it will be especially important that these escalation procedures are adhered to in full, to ensure the highest editorial standards.

Stephen Whittle, Controller Editorial Policy

25th September 2001