0:00:00 > 0:00:06The market update:
0:00:07 > 0:00:08Now - it's time for Newswatch.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11This week Samira Ahmed asks whether the BBC's coverage
0:00:11 > 0:00:12of Catalonia has been balanced and impartial.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Hello, and welcome to Newswatch.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Has BBC News been too sympathetic to those wanting Catalonia to be
0:00:18 > 0:00:19independent of Spain?
0:00:19 > 0:00:29Was Newsnight right to label its special this week
0:00:30 > 0:00:31The Problem With Men?
0:00:31 > 0:00:33First the week's news has again by dominated by accusations
0:00:33 > 0:00:42of sexual impropriety and inappropriate behaviour,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44we discussed on this programme a fortnight ago complaints
0:00:44 > 0:00:45that the allegations against Harvey Weinstein had
0:00:45 > 0:00:47dominated the agenda to excess.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Now we have heard the same charge in relation to the latest slew
0:00:50 > 0:00:51of cases now focussed firmly on Westminster.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Theresa May wants a new Code of Conduct to protect those working
0:00:54 > 0:00:57for MPs from sexual harassment.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00A woman tells the BBC how a senior Labour Party figure
0:01:00 > 0:01:04persuaded her to drop allegations of rape by a party member.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09Tonight at ten, the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has
0:01:09 > 0:01:13resigned, following allegations of inappropriate conduct.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15The allegations made against Michael Fallon
0:01:15 > 0:01:17which prompted his resignation as Defence Secretary
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and the attention given to it by BBC News prompted this
0:01:20 > 0:01:24anonymous telephone message.
0:01:24 > 0:01:34Hello, I am phoning to complain about this continual witch hunt
0:01:35 > 0:01:36people being sexual predators, more worrying things
0:01:36 > 0:01:38are going on in the world.
0:01:38 > 0:01:45I agree that serious sexual predators should be
0:01:45 > 0:01:47in the noteworthy news item, but somebody putting their hand
0:01:47 > 0:01:49on your knee is not.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52That phrase used there, witch hunt, was picked up by other viewers
0:01:52 > 0:01:56including Tom Parkinson who e-mailed:
0:02:03 > 0:02:13And Eleanor London asked:
0:02:25 > 0:02:34Newsnight tackled this fraught topic with a special
0:02:34 > 0:02:35editionn on Wednesday, subtitled, to dismay
0:02:35 > 0:02:36of some viewers,
0:02:36 > 0:02:37The Problem With Men.
0:02:37 > 0:02:38Good evening.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Tonight, we want to reflect the new national conversation
0:02:41 > 0:02:44about an age-old problem.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Sex, power, abuse and allegation.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Have the rules changed, are we redefining what we are
0:02:47 > 0:02:50prepared to put up with and how do we feel about calling people guilty
0:02:51 > 0:02:52in such a vocal public way?
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Edward Talbot was one of the viewers who got in touch
0:02:55 > 0:03:03to respond to the programme, writing:
0:03:41 > 0:03:46The political crisis in Spain started just over a month ago,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49with the first of October referendum on self determination in Catalonia.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55That saw a yes vote of 90%, but was boycotted by many of those
0:03:55 > 0:03:58opposed, and the Spanish Government said the vote and the idea of
0:03:58 > 0:04:00independence was unconstitutional.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Last Friday, the regional Government declared an independent republic
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and Madrid promptly dismissed the entire Catalan cabinet,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09dissolved the regional Parliament, and appointed
0:04:09 > 0:04:14the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister to run the region temporarily.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17The sacked Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, has been
0:04:17 > 0:04:20ordered to appear in court, accused of rebellion,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and has said he won't return from Belgium without a guarantee
0:04:22 > 0:04:27of a fair trial.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30BBC News has been following the twists and turns of this saga.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32This is the people facing down the police.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34These are riot police who have been drafted
0:04:34 > 0:04:37in from other parts of Spain.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40But their heavy-handed tactics today appear to be making deep divisions
0:04:40 > 0:04:46in this region worse.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50All round here Catalans are singing their National Anthem.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54The National Anthem they now believe belongs
0:04:54 > 0:04:56to their independent republic, separate from the Spanish state.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59There are so many questions, what will the Spanish Government now do?
0:04:59 > 0:05:08But for now this crowd just wants to celebrate.
0:05:08 > 0:05:17No doubting the passion of this crowd.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Belting out "long live Spain", along Barcelona's main
0:05:19 > 0:05:21boulevards, these are Catalans who don't want independence.
0:05:21 > 0:05:30Who reject the independence declaration made last week.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32It has been a complex and confused dispute,
0:05:32 > 0:05:33and some viewers have
0:05:33 > 0:05:39detected what they feel is a lack of balance in coverage,
0:05:39 > 0:05:49One Spaniard living in Lancaster thought the Catalan independence
0:05:49 > 0:05:51protestors were portrayed as brave and principled,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53while the Spanish state in trying to stop an illegal referendum
0:05:53 > 0:05:54and secession from Spain
0:05:54 > 0:05:57is seen as acting like Franco and oppressing the people.
0:05:57 > 0:06:07While M Nardini told us:
0:06:09 > 0:06:20And Paul Summers wondered:
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Well, to discuss this now I am joined by Andrew Roy who is world
0:06:27 > 0:06:30editor for BBC News, thank you for coming on Newswatch.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Most of the viewers who complained said the BBC had been too favourable
0:06:33 > 0:06:35to the pro independence side, how do you respond?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We haven't been, we have been physically in both locations,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41in Madrid and Barcelona, so we can put both points of view,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43our correspondents have been careful to get pro and anti clips
0:06:43 > 0:06:49from protesters and politicians into their pieces.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53We have been trying throughout to be absolutely rigorous,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55in being impartial and objective, and putting both sides
0:06:55 > 0:06:56of the argument.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58I think the concern is that the headline coverage,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01which is how most viewers encounter the stories they feel has given
0:07:01 > 0:07:05which is how most viewers encounter the stories, they feel has given
0:07:05 > 0:07:08the impression that was a violent state crackdown on a popular
0:07:08 > 0:07:10independence movement and that is not fair.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15I think that is incorrect as well.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17There was violence at the very beginning round the illegal
0:07:17 > 0:07:19referendum, we reported that the referendum was illegal,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23we showed what was happening in the polling stations,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25we also reported afterwards the disparity in figures
0:07:25 > 0:07:31about the numbers arrested, people injured by both sides.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37Since then, there hasn't been much violence, there has only
0:07:37 > 0:07:39been series of rallies, in Madrid and Barcelona,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41both pro and anti independence and we have been reporting that,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44reporting what the politicians have been saying, and giving
0:07:44 > 0:07:45both sides air time.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Do you think you did enough to explain why
0:07:48 > 0:07:53the referendum was illegal?
0:07:53 > 0:07:57We've put online an awful lot of explainers, we have pieces
0:07:57 > 0:08:02about the constitution of Spain, we have got pieces about
0:08:02 > 0:08:08the devolved powers of Catalonia, we have the history of the two
0:08:08 > 0:08:10sides in this dispute.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12If your audiences are saying they still don't
0:08:12 > 0:08:15understand it may be we need do more, but we've certainly gone out
0:08:15 > 0:08:18of our way to try to explain what is a complex situation
0:08:18 > 0:08:21and anyone who wants more depth, that is all available online.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25The trouble is, audiences, I think reasonably can say we can't
0:08:25 > 0:08:28be expected to go hunting for every piece of background online,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31the bulletins are what a lot of people watch and that is
0:08:31 > 0:08:32what they are complaining about.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35And perhaps in reports, that tend to be two or three minutes long,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37it becomes simplified as a tale of right and wrong.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40We haven't been doing just two or three minutes on this story,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42we have been doing much, much more than that,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45throughout the whole dispute, and like I say,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48we have also been pointing out here is a correspondent in Madrid,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50here is a correspondent in Barcelona, we are giving
0:08:50 > 0:08:54you both sides of the story.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59We have done historical explainers on air, we have also brought
0:08:59 > 0:09:04in the issues about the economics around this independence movement,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08and whether it would or wouldn't work, so we have tried as hard
0:09:08 > 0:09:11as we can to get across to the audience the complexities of it,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14in a reduced television bulletin, but this programme, this issue has
0:09:14 > 0:09:19had an awful lot of air time.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21I think there is a particular challenge for television
0:09:21 > 0:09:23when you get passionate colourful demonstrations wanting changed,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27compared to what consumers a relatively grey argument,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29the Government that wants to keep things the same, does that leave
0:09:29 > 0:09:31you with an unbalanced impression?
0:09:31 > 0:09:36You saw from those clips, that the people who are in favour
0:09:36 > 0:09:40of unity are just as passionate and waving just as many flags,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43confusingly similarly coloured to the Catalan flags
0:09:43 > 0:09:53confusingly similarly coloured to the Catalan flags,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56but they are as passionate in putting their views across.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58We covered those rallies, we covered them when they
0:09:58 > 0:10:01are in Barcelona that and when they are in Madrid.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04And we also go out into the crowd and get the voices supporting
0:10:04 > 0:10:07the rallies and also the voices down the sides of the rallies,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09who are possibly not supporting that point of view,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11who are possibly not supporting that point of view.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14So we do try to get the balance across time, but also
0:10:14 > 0:10:15within the bulletins pieces we do.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Thank you.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Before we go, a little more of your reaction to how the BBC
0:10:20 > 0:10:21covered the news this week.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23On Friday morning, one of the stories getting
0:10:23 > 0:10:24the headline treatment was this.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26And President Trump's twitter account is closed for 11 minutes,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28by a member of staff on their last day.
0:10:28 > 0:10:38Moira had this response:
0:10:43 > 0:10:53And Andrew Garner agreed with that:
0:11:08 > 0:11:11And finally, we mentioned last week complaints that BBC News should not
0:11:11 > 0:11:13have concerned itself with the trivial though amusing tale
0:11:13 > 0:11:16of President Macron's dog urinating in a fireplace during a meeting
0:11:16 > 0:11:19at the Elysee Palace.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21We have had some feedback about that feedback,
0:11:21 > 0:11:31including this from Liz Stewart:
0:11:41 > 0:11:42And that is all from us,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46thank you for all your comments this week.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49If you want to share your opinions on BBC News and current affairs
0:11:49 > 0:11:52or even appear on the programme, you can call us on
0:11:52 > 0:11:560370 0106 676 or e-mail us.
0:11:56 > 0:12:05You can find us on Twitter and do have a look at our website.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08So that is all from us, we will be back to hear your thoughts about BBC
0:12:09 > 0:12:10News coverage next week.
0:12:10 > 0:12:17Goodbye.