According to Question Time, SF=IRA, DUP=Goodies

bbcqtGreat bit of on the spot photojournalism from Simon Whittaker. During the filming of last nights Question Time by Mentorn Media for the BBC, he captured the notes attached to the television camera.

It gives affiliations for four of the six panellists with an additional note below two, IRA below ‘Sinn Féin’ for the party’s MLA John O’Dowd and Goodies below ‘DUP’ for the parties Ian Paisley Junior.

Needless to say Sinn Féin are unimpressed:

“The ‘SF/IRA’ tag was one created at the height of the unionist murder campaign against my party colleagues in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was an attempt to justify attacks on Sinn Fein members and our families,” he [John O’Dowd] said.

“For the BBC to adopt the tag 20 years into a peace process is beyond belief.”

You can see more from John O’Dowd, and the full image, here (on the BBC’s website). There was no response from the BBC as of 10.30 this morning (they have now, h/t Anne). The BBC operates to six public purposes (as set out by its Royal Charter and Agreement) one of which is Sustaining Citizenship and Civil Society, in which it states:

All BBC journalism will display the core values of independence, truth and accuracy, impartiality, fairness, and diversity of opinion.

Quite.

It’s not turning out to be a good year for the BBC, is it?

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