http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-1527560,00.html

March 16, 2005

BBC accused of lack of respect
By Helen Nugent
The peers' comments came after a recent on-screen row between Mr Paxman and
John Reid after the Newsnight interviewer branded the Health Secretary a
Labour "attack dog".

Michael Grade, the BBC Chairman, and Mark Thompson, the BBC
Director-General, were grilled by peers at the committee on the corporation's
charter review.

Lord Kalms told them: "There is a weakness in the way the BBC treats
politicians. They are not given sufficient respect and are often disparaged.
Several of your very excellent reporters do that almost as a matter of
course. Do you have a policy on the way Jeremy Paxman treats politicians?"
Mr Thompson said: "This controversy is not a new thing - take a look at Sir
Robin Day interviewing politicians in the 1960s and you will be surprised
how similar it was then.

"You have to strike a balance between proper discussion and scrutiny in the
traditional British adversarial way - exploring issues with the politicians
of the day in a way that explores the underlying arguments - and the danger
of overstepping the mark into negativity and rudeness."

Peers rejected the comparison between Sir Robin and the BBC's current
interviewers. Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen said: "John Humphrys speaks
more than the person that he is interviewing. It is not good broadcasting
because you can't hear the answers of the person he is interviewing. The
same happens on Newsnight."