Another apology from the BBC - this time over Newsnight

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Jeremy Paxman: Misled viewers

BBC bosses have been forced to apologise for yet another mistake, it has emerged.

Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman was found to have misled viewers during a debate on Scottish independence.

He claimed that most of the UK's top 50 companies were not in favour of independence.

But it later emerged the 'straw-poll' was worthless as just seven firms bothered to respond and Newsnight had not formally conducted a poll for the programme, which was broadcast ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary elections in May.

The Scottish National Party complained and yesterday the BBC apologised to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. It said the Newsnight survey did not 'warrant' the claim that no one favoured independence or that the biggest UK companies were 'ranged' against it.

The latest row comes just days after a number of BBC staff were asked to 'step back' from their duties amid revelations that the corporation had faked competition winners on shows including Children in Need, Comic Relief and Sport Relief.

A statement on the BBC complaintswebsite said: 'The finding has been discussed with the editor of Newsnight and his management team, who have been reminded of the importance of clarity and transparency when reporting and describing snapshots and straw polls of opinion on stories and subjects.'

An SNP spokesman said: 'It was quite wrong that Newsnight's approach to this serious issue misrepresented the views of Scottish businesses, and so it was right of them to apologise for their misjudgment.'

The BBC also issued an apology to Mr Salmond last month after the abrupt way in which presenter Kirsty Wark ended an interview during the row over the future of the Lockerbie bomber.

Meanwhile, ITV is preparing for the publication of an independent report into the way it has been running phone-ins, with Saturday Night Takeaway, I'm A Celebrity and The X Factor expected to be implicate

 

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