EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has apologized for not properly challenging the views of a vaccine skeptic, who claimed that COVID jabs cause heart damage during an interview on BBC News.
In a statement on Thursday, the UK broadcaster said it should have been better prepared for a live exchange with Dr Aseem Malhotra given his history of promoting vaccine hesitancy.
The interview took place on the BBC News channel last Friday, when Malhotra hijacked a conversation about cholesterol medication to claim that coronavirus vaccines “carry a cardiovascular risk.”
He was virtually unchallenged by presenter Lukwesa Burak, who simply asked: “That’s been proven medically, has it?” Malhotra replied that there is “lots of data” to support his claim, before calling for the suspension of the vaccine rollout.
The reality is that Malhotra’s research has been debunked by Health Feedback, a World Health Organization-backed group that verifies scientific claims made about vaccine safety in the media. Numerous studies have shown vaccines are safe and effective.
The BBC said: “We agree that we should have been better prepared to challenge what Dr Malhotra said, given his past comments about the vaccination programme, and we are sorry that this did not happen.”
The broadcaster also published a correction citing British Heart Foundation research. The BBC said: “People who are vaccinated have a much lower risk of getting other serious complications caused by Covid-19.”
The BBC said it received complaints from viewers about the BBC News channel interview, but did not specify how many. The corporation said Malhotra’s claims were rebutted later in on Friday morning by Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the UK Vaccine Network.
It did not stop Malhotra’s remarks from being celebrated by the anti-vax community, who said their views had been acknowledged by a mainstream media organization.
