The BBC used to run an ocassional series called Hypotheticals. Variously moderated by Geoffrey Robertson QC, Helena Kennedy and most recently Clive Anderson, the show requires a panel of notable guests to work through a hypothetical situation with moral, ethical and/or political dilemmas.
Just over a week ago, the show was recreated as part of a seminar on "impartiality in the digital age" organised by the BBC's board of governors. Today, we recreate the event in print for MediaGuardian and we pose the following dilemmas. Read our panel's responses here.
Here are the hypotheticals:
1) You have hired a female newsreader, who is Muslim. She's a great success. A few months later, she returns from holiday in Lahore wearing a hijab that she insists on wearing on screen. What do you do?
2) a) Sacha Baron Cohen records an episode of Room 101. It's a great show. He nominates kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bible for inclusion in Room 101. Are you happy to broadcast this?
b) Late breaking news: he also includes the Qur'an. Are you still happy to broadcast it?
3) a) Osama bin Laden agrees to an interview. The only pre-conditions are that it will be an hour long and you'll broadcast the entire interview. Do you agree?
b) As the interview ends Bin Laden insists on keeping the reporter "as a guest" until the interview is broadcast, so that he can ensure there's no back-pedalling on the conditions. Do you agree?
c) Do you inform the appropriate anti-terror authorities of the interview before broadcasting it - including the location where it took place?
