More flak for BBC as Birt goes to the Palace

MORE complaints have been upheld against BBC television news programmes in the last three months than during the whole of 1997, director-general Sir John Birt admitted today.

Speaking on the day he collected his knighthood from the Queen in the Birthday Honours investiture, Sir John conceded that the findings of the BBC's Programme Complaints Unit for July, August and September, published today, were "disappointing".

The PCU upheld four complaints about television news broadcasts during the last quarter, one more than last year. It found that a bulletin in June failed to represent the views of the government of Trinidad and Tobago in a report on the appeal to the Privy Council by five convicted killers on the islands. In July, footage of a married father and his children intended for a programme about the budget was instead used in a feature about single fathers. The PCU upheld allegations made of pro-Palestinian bias in a report on Israel's 50th anniversary celebrations, while also during July, the BBC inaccurately reported the names of tribes fighting in Nigeria in a story about the country's economic development. Sir John said: "This is disappointing in an area which has been distinguished for its consistently high standards." The number of serious complaints to the BBC is down year on year and down for the second quarter in succession. A BBC spokesman said: "During those three months the BBC broadcast more than 10,000 hours of news output. There were 52 complaints and four were upheld. That is a relatively low figure." Sir John dedicated his knighthood to BBC staff as he emerged from the Buckingham Palace ceremony accompanied by his wife and parents. The 53-year-old corporation chief said: "It is a marvellous moment. It is above all a tribute to all those who help make the BBC a very strong institution."

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