THE BBC has been forced to apologise to an acclaimed psychologist and writer after editing her derogatory comments about religion so that a radio programme broadcast “the opposite” of what she had said.
Dr Dorothy Rowe, clinical psychologist who writes on depression and mental health. Photograph: Frank Baron/Guardian
Dorothy Rowe complained to the corporation that her interview on the Radio 2 programme What Do You Believe? had been so heavily edited that the final version misrepresented her views.
According to the Guardian, during a 50-minute recorded interview, Rowe, best known for her work on depression, had attempted to comment on the subject proposed by the programme’s producer: “Why so many people want to believe in God and search for faith.” But she was aghast to hear how her words were eventually used.
In an email to the corporation, published on her website, Rowe stated:
My words were edited to make it sound that I held a favourable opinion of religion in that it gave a structure to a person’s life. What was not broadcast was what I had said about how such structures can be damaging to people. Being misquoted in this way concerned me greatly.
Rowe, who is in Australia promoting a new book, said on her website she had no option but to complain as she was acutely aware of the dangers of “having something in the public domain that did not represent my views” and which would “could cause me considerable problems, particularly when the subject matter was religion”.
She said the interview:
Sounds like I am giving unqualified praise to religious belief. There is no mention of what I talked… about at length, that religious belief can cause immense misery. I often summarise this with’ The church keeps me in business’.
The row has provided ammunition for secular critics who accuse the BBC of using its programmes to promote religion. Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, who was interviewed for the same programme as Rowe, said:
I gave a long interview, but when I listened to the finished product it contained just a couple of very brief soundbites from me which were not representative of the thoughts I had expressed… This programme was the most blatant piece of religious propaganda I have heard for a long time.
A spokeswoman for the corporation said:
The BBC’s religion and ethics department acknowledged that extracts from an interview with Dorothy Rowe – broadcast in the programme What Do You Believe? – misrepresented her views on religion and has apologised to her.
Rowe has also been invited to write an article published on the BBC’s religion and ethics website explaining her views.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
January 11th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Yet another case of the BBC lying through its teeth if the facts do not suit its left wing agenda.
January 11th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I agree that the BBC were lying- and the religion and ethics part of the BBC has a lot to answer for- but what on earth has ‘left wing agenda’ got to do with it? where did that come from? why do you think there is a connection between religion and being left-wing? what left wing agenda do they have? what is wrong with being left wing? I am an atheist and I am left-wing as you might call it in some things but ‘right wing’ in others- please tell me more about your throwaway comment:)
January 11th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Well what did we expect from the bible broadcasting corporation, a public owned broadcaster with a disproportionate number of religious nutters on its payroll who are given free air time to preach superstitious nonsense.
And I agree newspaniard, the BBC is not impartial and clings to a very trendy lefty bias – can’t upset the chattering classes can they?
January 11th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Not long ago, the BBC broadcast footage of the Queen which had been heavily edited to misrepresent her. If they can’t even get their facts straight about the monarch, how can we believe what they say about the really important stuff?
January 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I think he meant “airy-fairy let’s-celebrate-all-the-wonderful-unique-cultures” agenda. That’s what i call it anyway, i know plenty of decent left-wing people. I even used to be one myself.
January 11th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Yer, what Mike said.
January 11th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
May be its time Athiests thought about with holding some of there licence fee (ok i only said thought about)
January 11th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
As a lefty (and proud) I see the BBC as furthering a not-very-good-programmes agenda. Strictly speaking, though, the license fee is for telly, not radio.
There’s a more important issue here than the Beeb’s decline. Isn’t religion supposed to make you more ethical? And doesn’t that sort of imply honesty? I presume at least some of those involved in this exercise in lying to the listeners were churchgoing Christians.
January 11th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Psychodiva,
There is a website called Biased BBC which clearly shows a ‘trendy lefty’ in their reporting. I was surprised when I first read it as it is blatant.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:16 am
@newspaniard
Left wing?? I’d say it’s more right wing covering up the opinions held by a large sections of society.