The BBC said the host of Newsnight made comments about Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide that did not meet the outlet’s standards for impartiality.
Emily Maitlis, the anchor, criticized Dominic Cummings, the aide, on the show Tuesday as he faces accusations that his 260-mile drive from London to his relatives’ home in Durham broke with the country’s coronavirus lockdown rules.
“We’ve reviewed the entirety of last night’s Newsnight, including the opening section, and while we believe the programme contained fair, reasonable and rigorous journalism, we feel that we should have done more to make clear the introduction was a summary of the questions we would examine, with all the accompanying evidence, in the rest of the programme,” BBC said in a statement. “As it was, we believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality. Our staff have been reminded of the guidelines.”
Maitlis’s remarks caused a stir with some viewers accusing her of sharing her opinion on Cummings, who is facing calls to resign as the prime minister’s top aide.
“Dominic Cummings broke the rules, the country can see that, and it’s shocking the government cannot. He should understand that public mood now. One of fury, contempt, and anguish. He made those who struggled to keep to the rules feel like fools, and has allowed many more to assume they can now flout them,” she said, according to the Sun. “The prime minister knows all this, but despite the resignation of one minister, growing unease from his backbenchers, a dramatic early warning from the polls, and a deep national disquiet, Boris Johnson has chosen to ignore it.”
In addressing the backlash, Cummings stated that he does not “regret what I did,” according to Politico. Cummings said he was trying to line up care for their young son because his wife was showing coronavirus symptoms, and he believed she was going to fall ill.
