Simon Darby posted this link to a news report on a BBC regional programme, Look East.  John Standing found the opening remarks by reporter Nikki Jenkins so staggeringly dishonest he took it upon himself to contact the lady’s employer:

This mail is a complaint about the journalistic standards and political bias displayed by Nikki Jenkins of Look East in the video report currently online here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8232154.stm

At this stage I am not seeking a formal process, and will be satisfied with an honest and sincere reply from Nikki to the following questions, which I put to her in good faith and out of a desire to better understand what motivates this sort of journalistic behaviour.

Dear Nikki,

You opened a video report on an attack of the police in Luton by Muslim youths with the following words:-

“Well, the Home Secretary’s ban on marching worked.  The BNP didn’t turn up.  But there again they didn’t have to.  These young men did their job for them.”

I have the following questions for you, Nikki:

1. Were you mistaken about the British National Party being due to attend the banned English Defence League march, organising it or being in any way associated with it?

2. If you knew the BNP was, in fact, totally unconnected to the banned march but you wished to make an association nonetheless, what reason did you have for doing so?

3. Would making such an association be within the BBC’s rules on journalism?

4. Did you attempt to contact the BNP to find out if it was involved in the banned march?

5. Would misrepresenting the BNP in your report be acceptable journalism?

6. Will you issue a public retraction?

7. If not, why not?

8. Why did you not identify the youths attacking the police as Muslims?

9. Was their behaviour racist?

10. Why did you not apply the moral yardstick to them that you wrongly applied to the BNP?

Now, I am loathe to place my real name and address on the contact details below this panel because of the violence of the forces opposing the BNP and its supporters.  Notwithstanding my anonymity, I wish you, Nikki, to take this mail as a serious matter that requires your earnest attention.  Would you provide me, please, with the answers I am seeking?

Ignoring this mail or attempting to answer my questions in any way other than fully and honestly will result in a formal complaint to the Corporation.

In the event of a reply John Standing will no doubt post it here.

UPDATE 09.09.09

Nikki Jenkins has forced herself to reply.  She writes:

Dear Mr Standing,

Thank you for your email.

I am reluctant to go into details of my reports with someone who chooses to remain anonymous. However, I was in contact with the BNP’s press officer and discussed these issues with him.
It was my understanding that although the BNP were not the organisers of that particular march members and/or sympathizers were expected to attend. Use of recordings posted on youtube support this view.

However having spoken to the BNP press officer I accepted his point that they were not the offical organisers involved.

Yours sincerely

Nikki Jenkins
Reporter
BBC Look East

Well, it’s not much.  But it’s something, and enough for that Standing fellow to have another go.  He has responded:

Dear Nikki,

Thanks you for your partial reply.

I understand your natural reservation about my anonymity. It is, however, adopted not by choice but by necessity. Certain agents of the political left are very hate-filled and routinely employ violence to silence those of us who protest English race-replacement. I have a home and family to protect from these dangerous and wreckless people, else I would certainly deal with you in an open and normal manner. Please accept my apologies for this, and understand that in a democracy it is better that the power of speech is retained even if the name of the speaker must be disguised. One day, I hope, we will live in a world where such contingencies are not necessary, but that day is not yet.

You say you spoke to the BNP Press Office. I have not yet contacted Simon Darby. He mentioned your report on the Muslim riot on his blog here:

http://simondarby.blogspot.com/2009/09/its-that-bnp-again.html

... but there is no suggestion that he had spoken to you before you filed it. Can you please confirm when you did so? I find it hard to believe because Simon is very clear that the BNP does not march, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the English Defence League - and vice versa. Neither Simon nor the EDL organisers would have allowed you to put the phone down with the slightest impression that the BNP was involved.

Did you perhaps take your lead only from the YouTube videos you mention? Do you have live URLs for these videos? Obviously, they could not have been official BNP or EDL videos. Did the videos claim that a member of the BNP was planning to attend the march? If so, did you assume that such a person would be doing so in an official capacity?

Most importantly, do you accept that you made a mistake, and that it was seriously unprofessional of you to open your report as you did?

I am sorry to hound you somewhat on this, but I consider that quite enough gratuitous hatred is spilled over the reputation of the BNP by the media and the political Establishment. At some point one must endeavour to hold the miscreants to account. A higher standard must be demanded, and the culture of wrongdoing must be brought to an end.

In that spirit I request you to furnish me with answers to the questions I have submitted above.

Thanks and kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

John Standing

Waiting time again.