The BBC has stood by its defence of a Panorama investigation exposing shortages of non-public protecting tools (PPE) amongst healthcare employees, after a proper criticism from the tradition secretary.

Oliver Dowden, in a letter to the BBC director common, Tony Corridor, claimed the company was vulnerable to dropping the general public’s confidence amid accusations of political bias.

Final week Panorama reported that robes, visors, swabs and physique luggage had been unnoticed of the federal government’s stockpile when it was arrange in 2009. Among the gadgets at the moment are in short supply.

For the reason that programme aired, quite a few NHS employees who had been interviewed for it had been reported to be both longstanding members or supporters of the Labour occasion.

Dowden additionally referred to a different current incident during which the BBC admitted it had made a mistake by reporting {that a} boss of an NHS belief had contacted the broadcaster with considerations concerning the provision of robes for workers through the coronavirus disaster.

“I’m positive you’ll agree that it’s vital that public confidence is maintained within the BBC’s longstanding status for honest and balanced reporting, and that any injury to that may be deeply regarding,” wrote Dowden.

The minister additionally stated he was conscious the Panorama programme had been the topic of quite a few complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom.

“Issues have been raised {that a} disproportionate variety of these interviewed within the programme had been political activists or had clear hyperlinks to a political occasion. This each was not made clear to viewers and doesn’t mirror the stability of views of an establishment as giant because the NHS,” he wrote within the letter, excerpts of which have been published by the Mail on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the BBC confirmed on Sunday that it had acquired Dowden’s letter, including it could reply sooner or later. It referred to an announcement issued final week that stated sources for its PPE revelations weren’t the docs who appeared on the present.

The BBC’s journalists had spoken to dozens of healthcare employees in the middle of making the programme, a few of whom had been members of a political occasion and a few not, it stated.

On condition that NHS trusts had discouraged healthcare employees from discussing the dearth of PPE, the assertion stated it was maybe not stunning that these keen to talk out had been extra concerned with campaigning across the NHS.

Responding additional on Sunday in relation to Dowden’s letter, a BBC spokesperson stated the broadcaster wish to spotlight feedback by the prime minister earlier this week in relation to PPE.

Talking on the No 10 briefing for the primary time since recovering from the virus, Boris Johnson stated: “I’m not going to minimise the logistical issues we’ve confronted in getting the best protecting gear to the best folks in the best place, each within the NHS and care properties.”

There was additionally help for the BBC from figures together with the broadcaster James O’Brien, who said of Dowden’s letter: “I learn this twice and might’t see a single reference to, by no means thoughts refutation of, the testimony given by the medics on the programme. It’s the starkest instance but that the Vote Depart authorities is attempting to make confected tribal allegiance extra vital than proof. Once more.”

Alan Rusbridger, the principal of Girl Margaret Corridor, College of Oxford, and a former editor of the Guardian, tweeted: “It’s actually not the job of the tradition secretary to bollock the BBC for what your govt regards as bias, @OliverDowden Depart that to @Ofcom.”