Government statisticians’ placements at BBC Verify halted amid impartiality questions as bbc pauses civil service secondment scheme review
Secondments paused for review
The BBC said it would temporarily stop placing government statisticians with its fact-checking service, BBC Verify, while examining their roles. The decision came after The Telegraph reported that civil servants embedded at the BBC had been involved in editorial work. The report raised concerns about whether impartiality rules had been breached.
BBC disputes claims about copy
A BBC spokesperson said editorial decisions were made by BBC journalists and editors under the corporation’s guidelines. The spokesperson said statisticians had not made those decisions. A blog post by a civil servant about their placements, since removed, described drafting copy for the news website. The BBC called that claim inaccurate and said it had asked for the post to be amended.
Statistics code still applies
The BBC said statisticians’ work had sometimes been credited by name on its website, while maintaining that they did not decide editorial content. The corporation also said secondees followed the Civil Service Code of Practice for Statistics. The code requires statistics to be presented and used objectively, without being withheld or misrepresented because of political or commercial influence.
Key points
- The BBC is pausing government statisticians’ secondments to BBC Verify while reviewing their roles.
- The move follows a Telegraph report alleging civil servants had taken part in editorial tasks.
- The BBC says only its journalists and editors make editorial decisions.
- The BBC says secondees follow a code requiring objective use of statistics.