Summary of complaint
We received complaints from people who felt comments Fiona Bruce made with reference to allegations of domestic violence by Stanley Johnson trivialised the issue, and were biased in his favour.
Our response
We are unanimous in our belief that domestic violence is abhorrent, and it remains a matter of deep regret that many people were upset and concerned by what happened. As has been made clear by her statement and the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s, Fiona Bruce wasn’t trivialising this issue in any sense, and she is horrified at the accusation.
We are committed to due impartiality in our news programmes and on a fast-flowing live show like Question Time we are required to challenge contested comments. We have aÌýlegal and editorial duty as a responsible journalistic organisation to give context and any right of reply to a person about whom a serious allegation has been made.
Fiona explained to our audience the context of what had been said, and, as Mr Johnson wasn’t present to respond, made clear his position.ÌýAs she said, while Mr Johnson hasn’t publicly commented on this issue, friends of his have.ÌýFiona was explicit: she was reflecting what they had said, not her own view.
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