There has been an outpouring of support for Emily Maitlis after the BBC accused her of breaching impartiality laws.
Last May, the Newsnight presenter opened the show with a monologue which stated: “Dominic Cummings broke the rules” after the former chief adviser to Boris Johnson’s controversial Barnard Castle trip at the height of lockdown.
“The country can see that, and it’s shocked the government cannot,” she added.
The BBC swiftly issued a statement saying the introduction “did not meet our standards of due impartiality” – an allegation Maitlis has since rejected.
Asked if she regretted the incident, Maitlis told Press Gazette: “No, I don’t. It hasn’t ever been explained to me what was journalistically inaccurate about that.”
“The call from Downing Street came in, and within a four-hour window an apology was given,” she said.
“I think, whilst you always welcome critical friends or constructive criticism, one of the oldest journalistic questions is: Cui bono? Who stands to gain?
“And I think one of the most important things we can do is say, ‘Where are those accusations coming from?’
“If people shout ‘fake news’, or if they shout ‘no impartiality’, you look and you see if it’s coming from someone with the programme’s best [interests] at heart. Or, is it somebody who is driving their own agenda.
“And I think it pays to be particularly curious and particularly dispassionate about these things. Because otherwise we lose something really important. Which is editorial independence.
“If it’s coming from a spin doctor at No 10, or if it’s coming from a rival in the media, or if it’s coming from somewhere that perhaps wants to make its own point and shut down others, then I don’t think we’d call that impartiality. We’d call that agenda-driven points scoring.”
Maitlis has received an outpouring of support on social media.
Here’s what people had to say:
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