Beeb suspends phone-in contests due to fake participants
 

I heard on the BBCR2 stream that at least one program on BBCWS was
involved.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6904516.stm

BBC NEWS
BBC to suspend phone competitions
The BBC is to suspend all competitions after an inquiry unearthed a
fresh batch of faked phone-ins.

Serious editorial breaches were found in six shows, including Comic
Relief. Director general Mark Thompson said the incidents were
"totally unacceptable".

Mr Thompson has outlined a "zero tolerance" approach to any future
lapses in editorial judgement.

He also ordered an independent inquiry into footage that wrongly
implied the Queen walked out of a photo session.

All phone-related competitions on BBC TV and radio will cease from
midnight on Wednesday, while interactive and online competitions will
be taken down as soon as possible.

Director general Mark Thompson said he would not resign
Asked about refunds for callers to the faked competitions, Mr Thompson
told BBC News 24: "If there is a way of recompensing then we will do
it."

The BBC Trust said it was "deeply concerned that significant failures
of control and compliance within the BBC have compromised the BBC's
values of accuracy and honesty".

'No excuse'

BBC One's Sports Relief in July 2006, Comic Relief in March 2007,
Children In Need on BBC Scotland in November 2005, The Liz Kershaw
Show on BBC 6 Music and CBBC programme TMi were all found to have
breached editorial standards.

Mr Thompson said: "It is right that we are open with the public when
we have fallen short and that we demonstrate that we take this very
seriously indeed," he added.

"There is no excuse for deception. I know the idea of deceiving the
public would simply never occur to most people in the BBC.


NEW BBC MEASURES
All competitions suspended
All staff to be trained on safeguarding trust
Independent inquiry into the Queen documentary
Commissioning from the Queen documentary production company RDF
"paused"
Some editorial leaders asked to "stand back" from their duties
Contracts with staff and suppliers revised to emphasise editorial
standards
Promotional materials must meet the same standards

"If you have a choice between deception and a programme going off air,
let the programme go. It is far better to accept a production problem
and make a clean breast to the public than to deceive," he added.

The Trust, the BBC's governing body, said: "The public has a right to
expect the BBC to set the standards for editorial integrity in
broadcasting and expect those in charge of the Corporation to protect
the reputation of their public institution."

It added that Mr Thompson's report highlighted "further deeply
disappointing evidence of insufficient understanding amongst certain
staff of the standards of accuracy and honesty expected."

"We have made clear that we regard any deception or breach of faith
with our audiences as being utterly unacceptable."

Other measures outlined in Mr Thompson's action plan include mandatory
training for 16,500 staff.

But he denied that the issue of resignation had arisen at his meeting
with the BBC Trust.

He also told BBC News 24 no offers of resignation had been received by
him, nor had he sought any.

He said: "We are all utterly determined to do everything we can to fix
this problem."

He has also called for a workshop involving other broadcasters to
discuss issues surrounding editorial standards and training.

'In denial'

ITV's executive chairman Michael Grade, himself a former chairman of
the BBC, told Newsnight that there was an "epidemic" which affected
every broadcaster in the UK.

He said: "It's partly to do with casualisation of the industry, people
on short-term contracts under tremendous strain, tremendous pressure.
Competitive pressure is enormous."

Earlier on Wednesday, a report by media regulator Ofcom said there had
been a "systemic failure" in the way TV channels had run premium rate
phone services.

An inquiry found that broadcasters were "in denial" about their
responsibilities to viewers and saw phone-ins as a way to generate
revenue.

Last week Ofcom fined the BBC £50,000 after the children's programme
Blue Peter falsified the results of a phone-in competition during a
live show.

The BBC also had to apologise over the clips from a documentary about
the Royal Family that implied the Queen had walked out of a portrait
session with a photographer.

The programme's makers, RDF Media, subsequently admitted that it was
"guilty of a serious error of judgement".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...nt/6904516.stm

Published: 2007/07/18 22:28:53 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Beeb suspends phone-in contests due to fake participants
 

Tester wrote:
I heard on the BBCR2 stream that at least one program on BBCWS was
involved.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6904516.stm


{snippage. Content stipulated}



© BBC MMVII


This is not a problem exclusive to BBC. However, it's good to see
that Auntie and The Trust take matters seriously enough to come clean
about it.

Let's hope some of this refreshing and bold public introspection
becomes contagious.

Now, if they could take the same position with some of their news
editors, they'd be back onto a path of credibility.


p

Beeb suspends phone-in contests due to fake participants
 

On Jul 18, 9:27 pm, D Peter Maus wrote:
Tester wrote:
I heard on the BBCR2 stream that at least one program on BBCWS was
involved.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6904516.stm

{snippage. Content stipulated}

© BBC MMVII

This is not a problem exclusive to BBC. However, it's good to see
that Auntie and The Trust take matters seriously enough to come clean
about it.

Let's hope some of this refreshing and bold public introspection
becomes contagious.

Now, if they could take the same position with some of their news
editors, they'd be back onto a path of credibility.

p


I'm still waiting for NBC in the US to apologize for the breathless
wall to wall coverage of the Virginia Tech killer that occurred for 12
full hours after they got his stuff in the mail, continued until the
clamor for them to stop grew too loud to ignore. While the news media
is apologizing for that, they can also apologize for the nine day long
marathon of misery they aired between September 11-20, 2001, the
towers collapsing and people running and blood and gore everywhere
over and over and over constantly, interspersed with talking heads
trying to explain it for us. Radio Havana reported that there were a
number of suicides and attempted suicides over the Wall of Misery,
people watched it for 3 or 4 days straight and then blew their brains
out. According to one poll, 17% of Americans still have nightmares
over the events and the relentless media coverage.

Don't think it won't happen again. I've seen depictions of house and
wildfires on newspaper web sites that were downright pornographic, 10
different views of one burned house, close up shots of the anguished
crying homeowner, and so on. The news media is so full of its own
righteousness that it can't see the exhibitionist quality to the
Tragedy Roadblocks. In contrast, listening to BBCWS after the London
subway bombings was quite refreshing-yes there was tragedy, but also a
defense of Islam from a British imam who called Pakistani madrasas
concentration camps. The Europeans tend not to rub your face in the
blood the way American media does.