Basildon wins apology from BBC Trust over Dale Farm coverage on One Show

The BBC Trust has written to Basildon Council to apologise for coverage on the One Show of the site clearance at Dale Farm.

The local authority had complained that the 14 February broadcast of the programme had been inaccurate, misleading and biased in favour of the travellers.

A traveller had been allowed to claim that Basildon was “throwing us out on the road” with “nowhere to go”, but the council was not given a right to reply.

A studio discussion between presenters Matt Baker and Alex Jones and actor Neil Morrissey, a guest on the show, was said to have resulted in a response on the cost of the operation that went unchallenged by the reporters.

In a letter to Basildon, Alison Hastings, Chairman of the BBC Trust Editorial Standards Committee, said that the committee had found two instances in programme where the BBC’s guidelines on fairness had been breached.

It also upheld a breach of the impartiality guidelines “with regard to the overall effect of the item”.

Hastings added: “I would therefore like to apologise to Basildon Council on behalf off the BBC for the breaches in this instance.”

Cllr Tony Ball, Basildon’s Leader, said the council was satisfied with the findings and welcomed the apology.

He added: “The site clearance of Dale Farm has always been about the protection of the green belt, but this was not accurately portrayed by the One Show report, nor the fact that we had made several offers of housing to traveller families.

“Since we made the complaint, these key facts have been more accurately broadcast, helping to aid the public understanding of what the whole issue was about.”