BBC apologises to viewers unhappy with 'disrespectful' 9/11 memorial commentary

The BBC has apologised to viewers who were unhappy with coverage of the memorial service to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Families of the victims attended ceremonies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on Sunday, where the names of those killed were read out.

However, the BBC has confirmed that it received complaints from some viewers who were "unhappy that commentary was aired" during the reading of the names. This was branded "disrespectful" by some.

Responding, the corporation said: "This special programme sought to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks featuring reaction and discussion on the day's events and covering the ceremonies in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

"As I'm sure you can understand, it can be difficult to strike the right balance between showing as much of the ceremony as we can, as well as providing commentary and analysis for our audiences. Such a large and continuous roll call of names also brings its own challenges for broadcasters."

The response concluded: "We believe our coverage was handled sensitively and respectfully, however we're sorry if some of the audience didn't feel we got this quite right on this occasion. We certainly intended no offence."

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