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. C.etiiaar, NIOrMiI Pnaq

Pre

Ben Biadshaw, MP
House ofCommous
IRIIIdiia
sWln onw
1 ° July 2003

Bv Post and Fax- 039 7219 0M

be.-"'e ?cn,
Thank you for your Is=.

Richard Sambrook has made a very detailed response to the questions tbai were posed to
Alistair Campbell which covers many, if not most, oftbe points that you raise .

A5 to your specific questiom about the Producca' Guidelb+"a,, T am saus5eb. ~69 &e
reliance on asingle source (provideddo source 6aedibleaudin aposid'oat hknow
alo
what they am talking about) is not In conflict wi~ our guideline on eb¢uEa_'"c~: As you w01
know from your own_ expmeoce as ajoumaliat and politician, politicaljuuiaalism would
virtually cease in both print and broadcast media if every report relied o`nseveral sooraea.
13e key test is rigorois editorial judgqnent based on a reliable journal3stic pmcesa. Ma
original report on the Today programme met that criterion, with Government ministea
given the opportunity to respond then and subsequendy.

Incidentally, du guideline that you cite on anonymity relates to situations wheaa

programmes are seeking to talk to people in trouble with the law.

The Guidelines are a public statement of our editorial valuea. 1 am confident from Mutt 1
know of the circumstances that they were followed. We will, of rourse,jo on reporting
the responses of the govefnruerrt, the wider public debate, and the findings of committm
of the House, fully, fairly, and impartially.

i am releasing this letter to the prnaa.

Ymna

Stepbcn Whittle
Controller, Editorial Policy
333 Henry Wood House
BBC
Tel. 020 7765 5655
mailto :gtephen.whitileQhbe co u~Y

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