BBC says sorry for Paxman grilling
The BBC has apologised over a Jeremy Paxman interview which ended with the walkout of the police chief he was questioning.
Chief Constable David Westwood stormed off BBC2's Newsnight after he was repeatedly questioned about errors that let Soham killer Ian Huntley become a school caretaker. The pre-recorded interview ended when Mr Westwood removed his earpiece and walked out.
Mr Westwood complained to the BBC that the interview had been "edited misleadingly" and gave the impression he was trying to avoid answering difficult questions. After investigating the complaint, the BBC today admitted it had acted wrongly and apologised. The footage will not be shown again and the Newsnight team have been told to learn lessons from the incident.
In its programme complaints report, the BBC said: "On the question of editing, the director-general concluded it had been wrong to show the chief constable removing his earpiece and terminating the interview in response to the final question without showing more fully his earlier answers to the same question. He has apologised to the chief constable for this error."
On Newsnight in December Mr Westwood was asked to explain why his Humberside force had not kept computer records on Huntley, who had previously been accused of rape and indecent assault.
Mr Westwood said because the complaints had not led to convictions they had to be deleted under the Data Protection Act. But Paxman pressed the point.
The apology is the second in a week for the BBC. On Thursday, after the Hutton report, acting chairman Lord Ryder apologised "unreservedly" for mistakes made over the Dr David Kelly affair.
