BBC journalists were told to “turn up the scepticism” on Labour and use the word “lockdown” less during the pandemic, leaked emails and WhatsApp messages have shown.
New explosive correspondence has been shared with the Guardian amid concern among some BBC insiders that the corporation has been too cowed by the government in recent years.
In one email, correspondents were told not to use the word “lockdown” in relation to the shutdown ordered by Boris Johnson on 23rd March 2020 – the day the first lockdown was announced.
It read:
“Hi all – D st are asking if we can avoid the word ‘lockdown’. I’m told the message will be that they want to keep pushing people to stay at home but they are not talking about enforcement at the moment.”
Labour criticism
In another WhatsApp message from Sunday 24th October 2021, a senior editor asked journalists to make coverage more critical of Labour after a complaint from No 10.
The message reads:
“D St complaining that we’re not reflecting Labour’s mess of plan b online. ie Ashworth said it earlier this week, then reversed. Can we turn up the scepticism a bit on this?”
The message was sent on the day Rachel Reeves confirmed Labour was calling for Plan B Covid restrictions, a policy initially announced by shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth, which was being resisted by the government.
Downing Street argued Labour kept changing its position on Covid restrictions and a line was added to the BBC online story to that effect.
Headlines “determined by calls from Downing Street”
According to BBC insiders, Downing Street has been increasingly involved in editorial decisions within the national broadcaster.
One BBC insider told the Guardian: “Particularly on the website, our headlines have been determined by calls from Downing Street on a very regular basis.”
They said the messages would have been a small snapshot of what was going on, because most pressure was applied verbally rather than written down.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC makes its own independent editorial decisions and none of these messages show otherwise.
“Like all news organisations, we are frequently contacted by representatives from all political parties.
“Selective out of context messages from a colleagues’ WhatsApp group and email do not give an accurate reflection of the BBC’s editorial decision making.”
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