Panorama issues statement on Saving Syria’s Children

BBC Panorama has issued a statement regarding its 2013 documentary ‘Saving Syria’s Children’.

The statement is in response to challenges made by film, television and radio producer Victor Lewis-Smith.

On February 21 Lewis-Smith was alerted by political blogger Daniel Margrain to the recent UK Column Insight programme Saving Syria’s Children – The Worst Case Of Fake News?.

Lewis-Smith subsequently tweeted Panorama requesting a discussion about Saving Syria’s Children, placing his contract for a forthcoming BBC Radio 4 comedy pilot at stake.

After several hours of “omerta”, as Lewis-Smith described it, a reply eventually was forthcoming from the BBC News Press Team.

As I tweeted in reply, the Ofcom report cited by the BBC News Press Team was in no way a defence of the BBC’s material. Lewis-Smith was also unimpressed:

Shortly afterwards Panorama editor Rachel Jupp replied to Lewis-Smith promising a conversation:

However by Monday Jupp’s position had shifted, prompting Lewis-Smith to up his demand to the release of the Saving Syria’s Children rushes:

While waiting for Jupp to fulfil her second promise, Lewis-Smith and I spoke and shortly afterwards a proposal was mooted:

Monday came and went with no statement from Jupp.

At 15:08 on Wednesday 1 March, two days later than promised, Jupp’s statement finally appeared on Panorama’s Facebook page. Four hours later Lewis-Smith posted a video of his tearing up his BBC contract.

I have added my responses to Jupp’s statement (reproduced below) in the comments below the Panorama Facebook post. 

For Victor Lewis-Smith’s observations on Saving Syria’s Children see his Tweets & replies from 21 February onward.

Robert Stuart

[The “Statement” and more…]

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