BBC suspends civil servant secondment scheme

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced that it will suspend the secondment of British government statisticians to its fact-checking service "BBC Verify" and review their responsibilities.

Since 2018, the BBC has been offering six-month secondments to up to two civil service statisticians to work on the BBC News Statistics Lead Team.

A BBC spokesperson said: "All BBC news and editorial decisions are made by BBC reporters and editors in accordance with BBC editorial guidelines and therefore these statisticians never make editorial decisions."

The BBC added that the staff currently on secondment will not be involved in the release of news or content during the review period, and the current round of recruitment will also be suspended until the review of the position is completed.

The decision was taken following a report published in The Telegraph. The report stated that civil servants working at the BBC had participated in editorial work, raising questions about whether impartiality rules had been violated.

The spokesperson added that the BBC "takes independence and transparency extremely seriously and we must ensure that the highest standards are met."

They said that although the work of statisticians was sometimes credited by their names on the BBC website, "they never made editorial decisions".

According to the Daily Telegraph, a job advertisement for a secondment position in 2027 states that the successful candidate must have "the ability to influence decision-making, proactively work with clients in a professional and credible manner, and share knowledge and information."

A now-deleted blog post about his secondment experience written by a civil servant showed that one secondee said he drafted content for a news website.

Under the program, statisticians explain the data in writing, which can be included in reports, but they do not write the news themselves.

The contribution of secondees could be incorporated into news coverage that examines the current government and all political parties.

Seconded statisticians must also comply with the Code of Practice on Statistics for the Civil Service. The Code requires them to present and use data and statistics in an objective manner and not to withhold or distort data due to political or commercial influence.