The Newshound

BBC suspends scheme after Whitehall civil servants are accused of writing and fact-checking articles on small boats and Covid

BBC suspends scheme after Whitehall civil servants are accused of writing and fact-checking articles on small boats and Covid

Seconded government statisticians received bylines that indicated membership of BBC Verify. A blog post, since deleted, captured one secondee's account of writing articles for the news website. The scheme dates to 2018 and offers six-month placements to as many as two civil servants at a time. Those currently on secondment are barred from publishing while a review is under way, and recruitment for the 2027 round has been frozen.

A 2027 job advert promised the successful candidate 'the ability to influence decision making'.

One civil servant was handed the task of drafting copy on annual population figures.

The BBC insists the statisticians 'never make editorial decisions' despite pausing the scheme.

MoreThe TimesBBC accused of impartiality breach over use of Whitehall fact-checkersThe TelegraphBBC suspends Civil Service fact-checking scheme - The TelegraphDaily Mail NewsBBC halts civil servant scheme after impartiality row over government staff being sent into the newsroom to write and fact-check articles on Covid and boat migrantsBBC NewsBBC pauses civil service secondment scheme
Read today's full feed at The Newshound →