This page includes apologies, significant corrections, statements and responses. It does not include routine corrections to news stories, minor on-air apologies and schedule changes.
Corrections and clarifications are published in the order that they were issued.
BBC Scotland
Radio and online, 2 & 3 April 2024
In BBC Scotland’s coverage of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, reference was made in some of our output to the Act making it a criminal offence in Scotland to make “derogatory comments” based on the protected characteristics of age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex. This was inaccurate and we should have referred to the Act creating a new crime where it is an offence if someone communicates material or behaves in a threatening or abusive manner with the intention of “stirring up hatred” based on these protected characteristics. We apologise for any confusion caused and have reminded our teams of the importance of accuracy in our output.
22/04/2024
Today
Radio 4, 15 April 2024
In a question to the Foreign Secretary David Cameron our presenter asked about Israel attacking and murdering tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Shortly after the programme, Nick Robinson posted on X saying he could have been clearer that he was not expressing his own view or that of the BBC’s when he used the word "murders":
“There’s been some controversy about words I used when I was interviewing the Foreign Secretary @David_Cameron on @bbcr4today about Israel this morning. My final question was about the perceived “morality” of the government’s position - in particular the “risk” that their position could “appear” to look like active support for Israel when it is under attack but nothing other than words “when Israel attacks or murders tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians”. I should have been clearer that I was not expressing my own view let alone that of the BBC when I used the words “murders”. In this 15 minute long interview I asked the Foreign Secretary why ministers had supported Israel militarily; why they didn’t go further & support Israel in confronting Iran; why they weren’t tougher in confronting Israel over Gaza and ended with that question about the perceived “morality” and the “risk” of how the government’s position “appears”. It was a lengthy and detailed exploration of the policy choices made by the government.”
17/04/2024
BBC News NI’s X Account
22 February 2024
On 22 February 2024, a BBC News NI post on X stated that a married couple who ran a garden centre in Hillsborough had been accused of possessing criminal property in the amount of £267,000. The post included a picture of Cameron Landscapes & Garden Centre. This statement was factually inaccurate, as the garden centre pictured, which is not based in Hillsborough, is not run by the married couple in question. As confirmed in the article hyperlinked within the post, the accused were Catherine and Norman Lambe, with the former having been further accused of false accounting and abusing her position within Cameron Landscapes Ltd.
27/03/2024
BBC News online
16 March 2024
In an article about the Liberal Democrats’ spring conference we wrongly described the political party Reform UK as far-right when referring to polling. This sentence was subsequently removed from the article as it fell short of our usual editorial standards. While the original wording was based on news agency copy, we take full responsibility and apologise for the error.
18/03/2024
Newsnight, BBC Two
27 February 2024
In an item about donations to political parties we said that the union Unite was being investigated for fraud, bribery and money laundering. We should have said that it is in fact an individual who worked for Unite who is being investigated on these allegations and we’re happy to make this clear.
28/02/2024
29/02/2024 amended for clarity
Today, BBC Radio 4
13 February 2024
In an interview about the Rochdale by-election, we wrongly suggested the vote had been called by the expulsion of previous Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk from Labour. It was in fact the death of the incumbent MP Labour Tony Lloyd in January this year which precipitated the by-election. Mr Danczuk is running as a candidate for Reform UK in this by-election (he was previously suspended from Labour, which announced he would be endorsed as a candidate in the 2017 election. He then left the Labour Party) . A full list of candidates can be found on the BBC website.
15/02/2024
News at One and Newsnight
12 & 13 February 2024
In an item about Labour and the Rochdale by-election, we reported that Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald had been suspended by Labour for an alleged antisemitic remark. This was incorrect. He was suspended for what the Labour Party called deeply offensive comments relating to the Israel-Gaza war. Mr McDonald denies this. We apologise for the error and made the correction and apology on air in the next day’s programme. On Newsnight a contributor also incorrectly listed Mr McDonald as an MP who had been suspended by Labour for antisemitic remarks.
14/02/2024
BBC News online – various articles
9 January 2024 - 9 February 2024
In a number of articles for the BBC News website we reported that the number of people killed during the 7 October attacks by Hamas is about 1,300.
This was the result of an error when interpreting data from Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Unit which provides the official count for victims and hostages.
In January the unit provided an update referring to “more than 1,200 victims murdered in the October 7 massacre” and also to “139 people who were injured and evacuated for medical treatment” who later died in hospitals.
However the number of people who died later is not an additional figure and the official death toll remains about 1,200 and not 1,300 as we have stated in these articles.
We have amended the articles which carried this inaccurate figure and added a correction note advising readers of this change.
We would like to apologise for this error.
14/02/2024
BBC News Channel
12 February 2024
In an interview with the Palestinian envoy Husam Zomlot he was introduced as “Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the UK” both verbally and on screen. Instead he should have been introduced as "Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK" and this was corrected later on air.
13/02/2024
PM – news bulletin
BBC Radio 4, 2 Dec 2023
In a brief piece about COP28 we talked about how a commitment by a large group of oil companies could cut the carbon emissions created when oil is refined into petrol by up to 15% per litre. The report went on to say “really we need to stop using the stuff completely” but should have made clear that this isn’t a universal view.
09/02/2024
BBC News online, The World at One (R4), various radio bulletins
2 February 2024
BBC News reported incorrectly that Abdul Ezedi, suspected of attacking a woman and her two daughters with a corrosive substance, was not eligible for asylum under Home Office guidelines as a result of a sexual assault conviction. These guidelines do not apply to asylum cases. We apologise for this error. The story was removed from news online and the episode of The World at One on BBC Sounds.
08/02/2024
BBC News online, various radio bulletins
31 January 2024
We reported that the British Beer and Pub Association had said 1 in 5 people had given up alcohol this January. A PR company working on behalf of the association subsequently confirmed that this figure is inaccurate and that they had conducted a survey of more than 2,000 people which suggested 1 in 10 people had given up alcohol. We amended the online article to make this clear.
08/02/2024
Today
Radio 4, 25 January 2024
In a broad discussion around algorithms and social media and whether they might be technology which was changing humans, we talked about how TikTok was an example of a brand distracting teenagers who scrolled from one post to another. We’re happy to make it clear that TikTok has announced measures to try to protect children including a default screen time limit of 60 minutes for under 18s and says this led to three-quarters of UK teen TikTok users setting a daily screen time limit.
01/02/2024
Reporting Scotland
BBC One Scotland, 31 December 2023
During our report on energy prices and cost of living, we said the Scottish Government was spending £104 billion supporting households with bills. We should have said it was the UK Government that was responsible for this expenditure. We apologise for this error.
30/01/2024
PM - Radio 4
23 December 2023
In an item about how Christmas festivities were being affected by the Israel/Gaza war we said that Bethlehem was “in the West Bank in Israel”. We should have said it was “in the occupied West Bank” and apologise for this error.
18/01/2024
BBC News Channel
3 December 2023
In a report about COP28 we said that 1 in 4 deaths around the world are linked in some way to climate change. To be clear the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1 in 4 deaths “can be attributed to preventable environmental causes and climate change is exacerbating these risks.”
10/01/2024
BBC Cymru Fyw
30 Tachwedd 2023
Ar 30 Tachwedd mi gyhoeddodd BBC Cymru Fyw erthygl ynghylch Coed Isaf Nursing Home Limited a’r gofal a ddarparwyd ar gyfer un o’u cyn breswylwyr. Ers hynny mi rydym wedi tynnu yr erthygl ar-lein yn ôl gan nad oedd yn cwrdd gyda safonau golygyddol y BBC ar gywirdeb a didueddrwydd. Rydym yn ymddiheuro am y materion hyn.
30 November 2023
On 30 November BBC Cymru Fyw published an article regarding Coed Isaf Nursing Home Limited and the care it provided one of its former residents. We have since withdrawn the online article since it did not meet the BBC’s editorial standards on accuracy and impartiality. We apologise for these matters.
09/01/2024
Radio News Bulletins
24 December 2023
In overnight output we ran a story about Hamas accusing the Israeli army of carrying out summary executions in the Gaza strip. This was a Hamas statement, but although the accusations were attributed and our story contained a response from the Israeli military saying they were unaware of the incident and that Hamas was a terrorist organisation that did not value truth, we had not made sufficient effort to seek corroborating evidence to justify reporting the Hamas claim. We apologise for this mistake.
05/01/2024