Video
Individual complaint sparks Ofcom 'assessment' over Newsnight's Dominic Cummings remarks
Emily Maitlis introduces BBC Newsnight with a summary of the government's reponse to the Dominic Cummings story. - Credit: BBC
The TV broadcasting watchdog is looking into the comments Emily Maitlis made about Dominic Cummings after he broke lockdown earlier this year.
The Newsnight coverage centred on the former senior adviser to Boris Johnson's trip from London to Durham during the first lockdown.
The BBC previously ruled that the presenter’s comments about Dominic Cummings, breached impartiality rules.
MORE: Emily Maitlis received text message from Dominic Cummings after Newsnight reprimand
The corporation said earlier this year that “we believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality”.
Ofcom received the complaint, from an individual not satisfied with the BBC process, in the last couple of weeks, its chief executive Dame Melanie Dawstold told MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
A spokesperson later added that it had not yet triggered an investigation.
In her introduction, Maitlis said Cummings, then Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, had “broken the rules” and “the country can see that, and it’s shocked the government cannot”.
Most Read
- 1 A chapter is over for Britain, for good or ill
- 2 The biggest scandal may be that no rules were broken
- 3 ‘I should not have listened to Cameron’ – Former European Commission president
- 4 Russell Kane: Why working class people like Boris Johnson
- 5 The deep-seated issues beneath Sofagate
- 6 Opposition parties push for probe into Boris Johnson's conduct following viral video
- 7 Welsh government takes Westminster to court over post-Brexit bill
- 8 BBC journalist admits being 'haunted' by fear broadcaster 'built up' Nigel Farage and UKIP
- 9 The only Brexit export boom is from UK businesses rushing to Europe
- 10 Alan Duncan should have spoken out sooner about Boris Johnson
Cummings insisted he acted “reasonably and legally”.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
