See previous posts:
https://meagenda.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/bbc-news-woman-with-me-takes-own-life/
and
https://meagenda.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/bbc-midlands-video-woman-with-me-takes-own-life-edited/
Today, I have been in contact with Michele Paduano, the BBC journalist who covered the inquest following the death of Worcestershire ME sufferer, Mrs Nicola McNougher. [I append a copy of my questions to Mr Paduano.]
Mr Paduano has clarified that in the lunch time bulletin he was referring to the “Gibson Report” and that it had been his understanding, at the time, that the report was a Parliamentary Report.
The reason for the reference to a “Parliamentary Report” being dropped from the later broadcast was because Mr Paduano wished to include additional commentary on the Swiss clinic’s involvement and because there was insufficient time in which to identify the report by name or to include a direct quote from the report, which was felt might be potentially confusing to viewers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: Michele Paduano
Sent: Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Re: Video report, BBC News Midlands, Friday, 29 August
Woman with ME takes own life
Dear Mr Paduano,
Thank you for the BBC’s sensitive coverage of the coroner’s inquest into the death of Worcestershire ME sufferer, Mrs Nicola McNougher.
I maintain a website for the political issues affecting the lives of ME patients in the UK and I have received several queries from my readers in response to posting links to the BBC video reports as they became available on 29 August, on the BBC Midlands website at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7588385.stm
It has been noted that the earlier video [1.32] was later extended to [1.38] and that instead of
“[Mr Logan] echoes a Parliamentary Report that not enough money is going into finding out whether it is an illness of the body”.
the voiceover at 0.59 was edited to:
“…for twenty years, he [Mr Logan] has battled with ME and backs the need for more research into possible physical causes of the condition.”
dropping the reference to “a Parliamentary Report”.
I have received a number of enquiries about a reference to a report and why the reference may have been dropped from the later broadcast, and I should be grateful if you could clarify the following:
1] Could you confirm, please, whether the reference to a report on ME refers to the unofficial document published in November 2006, by an informal committee of parliamentarians brought together as a personal project of Dr Ian Gibson, MP (North Norfolk) and published electronically under the title: Inquiry into the status of CFS/M.E. and research into causes and treatment: Group on Scientific Research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) (GSRME) – known colloquially as the “Gibson Report”?
2] Is the BBC aware that the “Gibson Inquiry” was an unofficial inquiry and that the 34pp document which resulted out of this personal project was published by this informal committee, themselves, and that the inquiry was not carried out by a Select Committee or a Standing (now General) Committee, nor resulted out of a commissioned inquiry? The document should not be described as a “Parliamentary Report” as it has no status within either of the Houses of Parliament or within government and does not have the authority of Parliament nor any government ministry or department and that as an unofficial document, it was not published nor distributed by HMSO and is not, therefore, listed on Parliament’s website nor is it available from HMSO in either paper or electronic format. [Confirmed by the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner, January 2007]
3] Was the reference to a report edited out of the earlier version of the video report because the BBC were aware that the report should not have been described as a “Parliamentary Report” or for other considerations, for example, in order to make time for extending reporting of the inquest and the Swiss clinic?
Sincerely,
Suzy Chapman
me.agenda@virgin.net
https://meagenda.wordpress.com
http://readmeukevents.wordpress.com
meagenda.wordpress.com 