BBC criticised for 'fawning' over royals
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A top BBC presenter, known for his aggressive interviews, has slammed the UK publicly funded broadcaster for "fawning" over Britain's royal family in its news coverage.
Jeremy Paxman, who presents Newsnight, the BBC's flagship television current affairs program, and quiz show University Challenge, said the broadcaster often did not know whether to simply report on major events such as royal marriages, or "celebrate" them.
"While the BBC does report royal matters pretty straightforwardly, as it should, there is still a fawning taste, a fawning sense to the tone of voice it adopts when dealing with the heir to throne and his family," said Paxman, the author of On Royalty, a book about the royal family.
"They do not treat them in the way they would treat other members of the public, to which it might equally reply that they are not other members of the public."
In comments to be broadcast this week in a BBC documentary on its relationship with the royal family, Paxman added the broadcaster appeared confused about its role in reporting the death of the queen mother in 2002.
"It was unclear whether the BBC was announcing this as a piece of news or in its capacity as mourner-in-chief, really, and it got into a terrible muddle," he said.
- BBC
