(Church Times) Bishops slam ”˜one-sided view’ of suicide on TV

A former Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, said that the BBC had some “hard questions to address”, after broadcasting the programme. “Its own guidelines state that the portrayal of suicide has the potential to make this appear possible, and even appropriate, to the vulnerable.” He also argued that “the BBC has an obligation to provide a balanced presentation of the moral issues of the day,” but “so far, there has been little evidence of such balance in this matter.”

In a statement, the BBC said that it ac­know­­ledged that suicide was “an exceptionally difficult issue”, which “should be portrayed with the utmost sensitivity”. It argued that there was “a clear editorial justification” to broadcast the programme, which “does not encourage suicide and does not breach BBC guidelines.

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One comment on “(Church Times) Bishops slam ”˜one-sided view’ of suicide on TV

  1. Sarah says:

    Nice snuff-documentary there, BBC.

    This is a grand total of two bishops who have complained over what is a *radical* cultural shift by the BBC.