John Stonborough F.C.I.P.R.

Doorstepping Daniel Today

Once again, have the BBC – this time the Radio 4 Today programme – breached their own Guidelines?

Jon Manel’s investigation into illegal immigrants working with the full knowledge of the Immigration Service was a great public interest story.

Jon, armed only with a digital tape recorder, paid an unscheduled visit to the home (private property) of an illegal immigrant, called Daniel. As a result Daniel - a very polite African? - got nicked and pleaded guilty to using a forged document to get work. Good investigative stuff?– well perhaps not entirely.

Daniel is here, and working, with the full knowledge (and arguably the consent) of the Immigration Service who did nothing about him until the BBC got involved.
But what about the Door-Step interview – or as its called in the Guidelines: Door-stepping for factual programmes without prior approach

Approval will normally only be given if there is:
- clear evidence of crime or significant wrong doing and
- good reason to believe that an investigation will be frustrated or allegations avoided if the individual is approached openly.

I am not arguing that Daniel (and the many thousands like him) was not a ‘criminal’. But where was the evidence that the BBC had good reason to believe the investigation might be frustrated or the allegations avoided if they had asked Daniel about it openly, instead of ambushing him.

I don’t think there was any. You know what I think? I think Jon Manel of the BBC picked on this little guy for the drama of doorstepping him and in my book (BBC Producers’ Guidelines), that is not on. (See Newsnight-mare below)

I wonder if I can invite Jon Manel to respond?