TV
BBC "defends and supports freedom of speech"
Published Wednesday, Jan 14 2004, 01:35 GMT | By James Welsh
The BBC has responded to criticism from some quarters that its decision to pull Robert Kilroy-Silk's daily talk show interferes with freedom of speech.
The corporation took the decision to pull Kilroy from the air after the Daily Express republished an editorial by Kilroy entitled "We Owe Arabs Nothing," which originally appeared in the paper during the war with Iraq. The editorial, described as an "anti-Arab rant," generated a huge amount of controversy. In a curious twist, it is now the controversy over the BBC's decision to pull Kilroy-Silk's show that is rumbling on.
In a statement, the BBC said:
"The BBC is currently considering the implications of an article written by Robert Kilroy-Silk which was published in the Sunday Express on 4 January 2004 and which has caused significant and serious offence.
"In view of some newspaper coverage we would like to make it clear that the BBC defends and supports freedom of speech. This has never been about freedom of speech. It is about how the job of a BBC presenter carries with it responsibilities about what is written and said publicly and how this may impact on their on-air role.
"The BBC needs to be seen to be impartial when dealing with topical and controversial issues.
"The key focus for the BBC is, given the views he has stated, whether Robert Kilroy-Silk can be seen as a suitable presenter of a daily discussion programme dealing with a range of current and controversial issues, with an audience from a wide cross-section of the public."
The corporation took the decision to pull Kilroy from the air after the Daily Express republished an editorial by Kilroy entitled "We Owe Arabs Nothing," which originally appeared in the paper during the war with Iraq. The editorial, described as an "anti-Arab rant," generated a huge amount of controversy. In a curious twist, it is now the controversy over the BBC's decision to pull Kilroy-Silk's show that is rumbling on.
In a statement, the BBC said:
"The BBC is currently considering the implications of an article written by Robert Kilroy-Silk which was published in the Sunday Express on 4 January 2004 and which has caused significant and serious offence.
"In view of some newspaper coverage we would like to make it clear that the BBC defends and supports freedom of speech. This has never been about freedom of speech. It is about how the job of a BBC presenter carries with it responsibilities about what is written and said publicly and how this may impact on their on-air role.
"The BBC needs to be seen to be impartial when dealing with topical and controversial issues.
"The key focus for the BBC is, given the views he has stated, whether Robert Kilroy-Silk can be seen as a suitable presenter of a daily discussion programme dealing with a range of current and controversial issues, with an audience from a wide cross-section of the public."
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