0:00:00 > 0:00:00management. More on that later in the sports bulletin.
0:00:00 > 0:00:01Now it's time for Newswatch.
0:00:01 > 0:00:02This week Samira Ahmed hears your thoughts
0:00:03 > 0:00:05about the BBC's Brexit coverage.
0:00:11 > 0:00:17Hello and welcome to the show. Halfway to Brexit so how is the
0:00:17 > 0:00:24BBC's coverage doing? Biased, baffling and boring save you ease --
0:00:24 > 0:00:29assay viewers. We asked how to inform viewers on this most divisive
0:00:29 > 0:00:36issue. First, event in Zimbabwe which first came to the attention of
0:00:36 > 0:00:39news desks on Tuesday evening. It has been taking a while to work out
0:00:39 > 0:00:43what exact has happened, it was a military coup or not. The confusion
0:00:43 > 0:00:48was not helped by the BBC quoting as a source a fake Twitter account in
0:00:48 > 0:00:55the name of the ruling party, Zanu-PF. On BBC One television,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59breaking news alert and the website. It is not clear that she runs the
0:00:59 > 0:01:02account which referred to an elderly man who had been taken advantage of
0:01:02 > 0:01:06by his wife being detained in a bloodless transition. Some people
0:01:06 > 0:01:09were unimpressed.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21BBC World News later apologised and a spokesperson said...
0:01:33 > 0:01:38On Wednesday Boris Johnson met Richard Ratcliffe whose wife is in
0:01:38 > 0:01:43prison in Iran and that prompted the dimensions on the BBC the Foreign
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Secretary's incorrect statement last week that she had been working in
0:01:47 > 0:01:50the country training journalists. She was on holiday. On Sunday Andrew
0:01:50 > 0:01:57Marr followed up on the comment by asking Michael Gove about Nazanin
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Zaghari-Ratcliffe.What was she doing when she went to Iran?I don't
0:02:01 > 0:02:09know. One of the things I want to stress, there is no reason why
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe should be in prison in Iran as far as any of
0:02:12 > 0:02:16us know.You say you don't know what shooting, her husband is clear she
0:02:16 > 0:02:22was on holiday. That what she was doing.I take her husband 's
0:02:22 > 0:02:28assurance.He said she was training journalists that has been grabbed by
0:02:28 > 0:02:31the Iranian judicially to put her plight into an even worse position
0:02:31 > 0:02:37also that is surely his fault. Whatever we as Democrats choose to
0:02:37 > 0:02:41do or say extremist will choose to deploy for their own purposes. We
0:02:41 > 0:02:45play their game. We point the finger at Democrat to try to do the right
0:02:45 > 0:02:48thing when it is extremist responsible for the use of human
0:02:48 > 0:02:55rights.That exchange, and what Boris Johnson said about it, went on
0:02:55 > 0:03:00for around five minutes and prompted this reaction about Andrew Marr.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33This week saw the latest chapter in the saga of the UK Buddha
0:03:33 > 0:03:40preparations for leaving the EU with the withdrawal bill reaching its
0:03:40 > 0:03:43stake in the House of Commons. It is part of a compact legislative
0:03:43 > 0:03:48process in Westminster mirrored by equally lengthy negotiations in
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Brussels where David Davis and Michel Barnier have reached the six
0:03:51 > 0:03:54macro round of talks. BBC News have been following the talks every step
0:03:54 > 0:04:01of the way.12 months after the UK voted to leave the EU, the first
0:04:01 > 0:04:04formal talks to set the terms of departure have taken place in
0:04:04 > 0:04:10Brussels. Michel Barnier, the chief negotiator. Said he hoped the talks
0:04:10 > 0:04:18would be held in a constructive atmosphere.Behind the smart suits,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22stiff smiles, and it was clear that both sides are talking at cross
0:04:22 > 0:04:32purposes. Time is a precious commodity. Don't the UK and the EU
0:04:32 > 0:04:38know it. We are halfway between the date of our referendum and actually
0:04:38 > 0:04:48leaving the club. Expect many more face-offs along the way. And if
0:04:48 > 0:04:51those negotiations are proving tricky, so too is the BBC's task in
0:04:51 > 0:04:55covering Brexit in a way that satisfies the audience of its
0:04:55 > 0:04:58impartiality while keeping it informed in a clear and interesting
0:04:58 > 0:05:02way. Not everyone feels that is being achieved. Martin from Plymouth
0:05:02 > 0:05:08said...
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Meanwhile, David begged...
0:05:37 > 0:05:38And another few had this concern...
0:05:56 > 0:06:02The BBC's Europe editor catcher Adler spent much of her life living
0:06:02 > 0:06:07and breathing the Brexit process and she joins me now. The biggest
0:06:07 > 0:06:11complaint we get is about perceived bias, a sense that BBC reporting is
0:06:11 > 0:06:16constantly knocking British negotiators.It is a fair comment
0:06:16 > 0:06:21that you would expect to make. As Europe editor is my job to put
0:06:21 > 0:06:24across the European perspective. That might come across as anti-UK
0:06:24 > 0:06:29but it is putting across the other point of view. As we see these
0:06:29 > 0:06:33negotiations becoming pretty bad tempered, obviously there is very
0:06:33 > 0:06:39differing points of view.Taking all that on board, viewers feel we don't
0:06:39 > 0:06:44seem to get the same scrutiny of EU negotiators and their strategy.
0:06:44 > 0:06:50Since the negotiations started, I don't know if you're familiar with
0:06:50 > 0:07:00the Sicilian word omerta which means silence. EU leaders have been told
0:07:00 > 0:07:09to zip it and only let Mr Barney speak about Brexit -- Michel
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Barnier. We just don't have that same access at this stage to talk to
0:07:12 > 0:07:18the main players on the European side as we do on the British side to
0:07:18 > 0:07:23put those difficult questions to them on camera or on the record in a
0:07:23 > 0:07:28radio interview. I understand that for our viewers and listeners that
0:07:28 > 0:07:31is extremely frustrating and it feels like when not doing our job
0:07:31 > 0:07:36but believe me, because it is my job, I am doing it and asking those
0:07:36 > 0:07:39questions but the players are not allowing me to do that on the record
0:07:39 > 0:07:43and that is why I have to quote sources and contacts and EU
0:07:43 > 0:07:49diplomats.A lot of complaints say there is acres of coverage that
0:07:49 > 0:07:55little fact. Why do you spend so much airtime speculating?Many in
0:07:55 > 0:07:59the UK feel we voted for Brexit and it's a done deal and we can move on
0:07:59 > 0:08:04and see some action. There isn't much action. I feel your pain on
0:08:04 > 0:08:08that one because we have to deal with that as well. Brexit remains
0:08:08 > 0:08:14one of the top stories of importance for us in the UK so it is going to
0:08:14 > 0:08:18remain right up there and we have to keep coming back to it as the
0:08:18 > 0:08:22negotiating rounds proceeds. Even though actually, for example the
0:08:22 > 0:08:26last round, pretty much nothing happened in terms of news terms but
0:08:26 > 0:08:31we had to cover it and say that very little had happened. That leads you
0:08:31 > 0:08:34to speculate, and that is where it comes in, if there will be a deal in
0:08:34 > 0:08:39the end or will we be in a no deal scenario.How do you feel about
0:08:39 > 0:08:43viewers think that the coverage is too complicated?I would say that
0:08:43 > 0:08:50Brexit is a very combative issue. What about the financial services
0:08:50 > 0:08:53industry, agriculture, other goods, what happens to the label that says
0:08:53 > 0:08:57made in the UK but between the jar and the labelled the content it
0:08:57 > 0:09:01crosses over between the UK and Europe several times before a
0:09:01 > 0:09:05product is finished? These are all fiendishly compensated and that is
0:09:05 > 0:09:08why, as well as the Brexit negotiators, you have lawyers on
0:09:08 > 0:09:14both sides. This is dry and detailed stuff but that is what goes into
0:09:14 > 0:09:18untangling the UK from the EU and in the end will do into making a trade
0:09:18 > 0:09:23agreement between the two sides. Repetitive coverage is a bit charge
0:09:23 > 0:09:26also a lot of men in grey suit walking out of buildings. Is making
0:09:26 > 0:09:32this coverage front and interesting and challenging question of on a
0:09:32 > 0:09:36daily and hourly and weekly level it can seem quite dreary without much
0:09:36 > 0:09:43progress.I can tell you that here in Brussels I am surrounded by the
0:09:43 > 0:09:50EU institutions and they are grey and full of people in grey suits.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55That can be a bit difficult sometimes, the way we can lift it is
0:09:55 > 0:09:58in a different kind of coverage we have this whether it is my blog
0:09:58 > 0:10:04where I can get some colour into it, we have the Brexit podcast as well.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10Tell us about that, what is the thinking behind it?It is two fold
0:10:10 > 0:10:17really. On the one hand, if I have to do a Q and a on got news, and
0:10:17 > 0:10:23often told, you got 50 seconds in which to get so much nuance in and
0:10:23 > 0:10:26that's pretty much impossible. Never mind trying to get fact and a bit of
0:10:26 > 0:10:37colour. You go on Brexitcast you have ages of time to chat. We have
0:10:37 > 0:10:41our hosts and Laura Kuenssberg as well, a lot of knowledge in there
0:10:41 > 0:10:48and a lot of humour and we are able to get some humour into it. But I
0:10:48 > 0:10:51admit, Brexit is not something where events happen in a fast and furious
0:10:51 > 0:10:59manner but it is a hugely dramatic moment in EU and UK history.Thank
0:10:59 > 0:11:04you for coming on. Before we go, no secret that some newspapers like to
0:11:04 > 0:11:09have a go at the BBC and this week the Sun Italy enjoy doing so.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Published photographs of night shift workers asleep at their desks,
0:11:12 > 0:11:20passed to them a fellow member of staff who complained... We won't
0:11:20 > 0:11:24embarrass our sleeping colleagues that we will mention the response of
0:11:24 > 0:11:29Middle East correspondent Quentin Sommerville, perhaps recovering from
0:11:29 > 0:11:32his exclusive report on Sunday.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46Thank you for all of your comments this week. If you want to share your
0:11:46 > 0:11:49opinions or even appear on the programme you can call us on this
0:11:49 > 0:11:51number.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00You can find us on Twitter and have a look at our website for previous
0:12:00 > 0:12:02discussions.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10That is all from us, we will be back to hear your thoughts about BBC News
0:12:10 > 0:12:10coverage