BBC accused of succumbing to pressure from Sadiq Khan over Ulez reporting

Sadiq Khan's plan to expand Ulez in August to cover all 32 London boroughs has sparked controversy. Credit: Andrew Crowley

According to The Daily Express in an email sent to staff, Dan Fineman, senior news editor for BBC South East, said: we now need to conduct a mandatory check. reaching out to Jason Horton/Robert Thompson due to an outstanding complaint against the Mayor of London which is very urgent at the moment.»

The message was sent as an «important» note after «a call to the leadership of England». .

Jason Horton is Director of Production for BBC Local Services and Robert Thompson is Senior Head of Production for BBC East and London Content.

According to Mr. Cox, he was told about this by the employee who published the e-mail. it was «unrealistic for such a decree to be imposed on us by a politician and [for] my bosses to be afraid of Khan.»

Mr Cox accused the BBC of «undemocratic collusion» with Mr Khan, stating that it was «alarming and alarming that the BBC news program» is «dictated by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan».

«Keep the balance»< p>He turned to Tim Burke, editor of the BBC, Politics England, for clarification. In his response, Mr. Burke said that discussions were held among «senior newsroom executives» on the coverage of Ulez «to ensure that we are properly impartial across all platforms and honestly and accurately reflect all sides of the arguments for and against Ulez and other proposed schemes. «. .

He added: «Given that Ulez's coverage has elicited a large number of complaints — some valid and some not — reaching out to Robert Thompson and Jason Horton was a recent additional measure to balance our reporting on… a controversial topic.» /p>

He continued: «These kinds of referrals are not uncommon and are part of the normal senior editorial oversight of the release of materials as they evolve and develop.

«We have a complete editorial independence from the content we produce, and we will be covering the Ulez debate from a variety of perspectives without fear or approval.”

A spokesperson for the mayor said: “As you might expect, our press teams and Communications Officer to regularly contact the BBC and other media about Sadiq's work towards a safer, greener and fairer London for all.

«This may occasionally include correcting or clarifying any inaccuracies that may appear in media coverage.»

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A BBC spokesperson said: «Impartiality is at the core of the BBC's mission and public goals, so we will continue to cover the Ulesz debate from a variety of angles. vision without fear or approval.