Martine Croxall: who is BBC presenter, has she been taken off air - Boris Johnson ‘gleeful bias’ row explained

The BBC has said it is ‘urgently reviewing ‘ Sunday night’s edition of The Papers for a potential breach of impartiality
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BBC News presenter Martine Croxall has been taken off air amid claims she showed bias after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership contest.

Some viewers complained that the channel’s Sunday night’s edition of The Papers showed bias, and the BBC has said it is “urgently reviewing” the show for any possible breach. On Sunday evening, Mr Johnson dropped out of the race and claimed he had the nominations needed to make it on to the ballot paper but admitted he could not unite his warring party. But who is Martine Croxall and what is the “gleeful bias” row about?

BBC News presenter Martine Croxall has been taken off air amid claims she showed bias after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership contest.BBC News presenter Martine Croxall has been taken off air amid claims she showed bias after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership contest.
BBC News presenter Martine Croxall has been taken off air amid claims she showed bias after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership contest.

Who is Martine Croxall?

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Croxall is a TV journalist and one of the main news presenters on BBC news. She is a regular presenter in the evening, and also occasionally hosts Afternoon Live on BBC News. She has presented on both BBC World News and World News Today. Croxall has worked for the BBC since the 1990s.

Why was she taken off the air?

During her introduction to Sunday night’s edition of The Papers, in which members of the press and experts look at how the main stories of the day were covered, she said: “Well this is all very exciting, isn’t it?” adding: “Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am.”

The programme started at 10.30pm on Sunday, around 90 minutes after Mr Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership race. In her first question to her guests, Croxall also remarked: “Can we even show you the front pages just yet, have they arrived? No they haven’t arrived.

“It’s all a little bit, you know, lastminute.com isn’t it? Because all the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.”

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Croxall also suggested during the programme that her comments could have breached BBC guidelines. Responding to a guest’s joke aimed at Mr Johnson, she said: “I shouldn’t probably (laugh). I’m probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.” Some viewers, including several Tory MPs, reacting to a clip on social media, complained it displayed bias.

What has the BBC said?

A statement from the broadcaster said: “BBC News is urgently reviewing last night’s edition of The Papers on the News Channel for a potential breach of impartiality.

“It is imperative that we maintain the highest editorial standards. We have processes in place to uphold our standards, and these processes have been activated.”

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries said on Twitter: “This lack of impartiality demonstrates how deep seated the bias is.” It comes after Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy was also taken off air, for a week, after he swore at Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker following an interview. The broadcaster said the presenter’s outburst towards the Tory MP had breached its “strict” code of conduct.

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