BBC Apologizes to RT for Making False Claims About Journalist

BBC presenter has apologized to the Russian television channel RT for making a false accusation against one of its reporters.

MOSCOW, January 19 (Sputnik) — BBC presenter Jo Coburn has apologized to the Russian television channel RT for falsely accusing one of the channel's journalists of interviewing her own father.

The accusation was made on January 8 when the program's host Andrew Neil stated that the journalist interviewed her father "live on air". According to RT, the statement was brought up as "shocking example of poor journalism at RT, and as a point of derision against the channel".

"On last Thursday's show, in an interview with Afshin Rattansi, a presenter from the RT news channel Russia Today, we wrongly suggested that a reporter from the channel, Anastasia Churkina, had interviewed her father, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin. We now understand this not be the case, we are happy to make that clear and apologise for the error," BBC presenter Jo Coburn stated on January 16 during a live broadcast of BBC Two's Daily Politics program.

According to RT, Churkina has never interviewed her father in any format. Following the statement, RT brought the matter to the attention of the editors at the BBC, requesting an apology and a retraction.