Lay off

Enough abuse, says BBC DG Lord Hall.

"Some of the abuse which is directed at our journalists who are doing their best for audiences day in, day out is sickening. It shouldn’t happen. And I think it’s something social media platforms really need to do more about.

"In a frenetic campaign where we’ve produced hundreds of hours of output, of course we’ve made the odd mistake and we’ve held up our hands to them. Editors are making tough calls every minute of the day. But I don’t accept the view of those critics who jump on a handful of examples to suggest we’re somehow biased one way or the other.

 "We should never be complacent about the challenges we face demonstrating our impartiality in today’s world. But I believe the past few weeks have proved that no one is doing more than the BBC to stand up for trust and integrity in news, and no one is working harder on the side of the audience."

Tony says nearly everyone's been watching, listening or reading BBC stuff: "We have reached over 80% of people in the UK each week across all platforms. We have been the biggest news provider for under-served audiences, reaching more than seven-in-ten people aged 16-34 each week. We have consistently been rated best for election coverage."