BBC backs down on “stupid” comment, as reported by BBC News and The Telegraph 31 July 2012. In an interview with Richard Dawkins in September 2011 prominent BBC interviewer Jeremy Paxman referred to belief in creation as “religious hogwash” and those who believe it as “stupid people”. Following a complaint, the BBC Trust has acknowledged that Paxman’s comments, “were offensive to some of the audience and that there was no clear editorial purpose for their use in the context of this Newsnight item” and the item breached the Editorial Guidelines on Harm and Offence.
Evidence News 8 August 2012