Disgust at Newsnight’s ‘pathetic apology’ after language debate
PEOPLE have criticised the “non-apology” made by BBC Newsnight after the flagship show attracted widespread attention over its Welsh-language debate.
The programme, which aired on Wednesday, was attacked by politicians including Minister for Life Long Learning and Welsh Language Alun Davies, who said the debate showed “poor judgement” and a lack of research.
Featuring guest speakers writer Julian Ruck and Wales editor of news and commentary website The Conversation Ruth Dawson, the report raised questions about whether the Welsh language was a “deterrent” to companies and damaging to Wales’ economic development.
The programme, which opened with the question “Is the Welsh language a help or hindrance to the nation?” was described as a “new low” by AM Sian Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM for Arfon.
She said: “The BBC Newsnight coverage marks a new low for that organisation’s treatment of Welsh. A lack of research, lack of suitable guests and incorrect framing enabled Welsh to be genuinely debated as being a hindrance to the nation.
“People who speak Welsh should not have to justify their language in any situation.”
Responding to criticism, a statement was issued at the end of the programme last night, with presenter Evan Davis suggesting a Welshspeaking guest “would have been better”.
He said: “We can’t leave without a word or two about Wales and the Welsh language.
“If you saw last night’s [Wednesday’s] programme we had a discussion on policies to promote Welsh language, with a defender of government efforts to get it more widely spoken and someone who thought it wasn’t the government’s job.
“Now, our defender of Welsh did a perfectly good job but was someone who didn’t actually speak more than a bit of Welsh herself.
“Now that is quite representative, by the way, of a very prevalent group in Wales. Most people don’t speak it and polls suggest most people do support government efforts to promote it.
“But understandably we had more than a few comments suggesting we had not done justice to the language by discussing it without a Welshspeaker.
“I am not going to pretend that we disagree. We think it would have been better to have a Welsh-speaker too.”
The show ended with Welsh band Yr Eira playing their song Suddo at The National Eisteddfod of Wales.
Reacting to the statement, some have described the BBC’s comments as a “non-apology”.
Former head of digital at S4C Huw Marshall said: “It was a complete non-apology. It was right at the end of the programme.
“The Eisteddfod has been going all week, and just to play a song and not explain what it’s about and the numbers that go there just makes you wonder.
“Their only apology was that there should have been a Welsh-speaker. They should have apologised for the lack of journalism.
“If you’re going to discuss the Welsh language, it should be on a ministerial level.”
Others took to social media to express their frustration.
BBC presenter Huw Edwards wrote on Twitter: “There are indeed plenty of in-house experts and certainly far better guests available for debate.”
Posting on Twitter, Wrexham AFC player Dylan Ellis said: “Pathetic apology. Was it written by a threeyear-old Newsnight? Dim digon da eto gan BBC Ingland.”
Delyth Jewell wrote: “Dismayed by #Newsnight piece on Welsh language. Hard to think of any other language so consistently called on to justify its own existence.”
A BBC spokesman said: “Whilst different perspectives were included in this item on the Welsh language, the discussion of such an important subject would have benefited from more thorough analysis and debate.
“We regret that, but believe it was important to look at this topic and we will do so again in the future.”