Harry Farley
BBC journalist, named author of the December 2021 Oxford Street bus report
| Harry Farley
| |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Named author of the BBC News Online report on the Oxford Street Chanukah bus incident |
Harry Farley is a British journalist at the BBC. A BBC News article of 11 September 2026 gives his byline as "Political correspondent".[1] In December 2021 he was named as the author of the BBC News Online report on the Oxford Street Chanukah bus incident, which became the subject of complaints, an Executive Complaints Unit finding and an Ofcom ruling.[2][3]
Career
Farley studied Religions and Theology at the University of Manchester from 2011 to 2014. A departmental blog of 18 December 2020 described him as "now a BBC producer and senior broadcast journalist" who "specialises in religion and ethics and works with Martin Bashir, the BBC Religion Editor, to provide stories across the BBC's TV, radio, and online outlets", covering "religious affairs, politics and law".[4] The industry site TV Newsroom, in a biography updated on 19 May 2026, says he "joined the BBC as a producer in January 2018" and "used to specialise in religion and ethics".[5] In January 2022 Jewish News described him as "a religion and ethics journalist at the BBC".[3]
Oxford Street report
On 2 December 2021 BBC News Online published an article, later the subject of the ECU finding, under the headline "Oxford Street: Men filmed spitting at Jewish people on bus". The original text said: "Some racial slurs about Muslims can also be heard from inside the bus". On 3 December the BBC changed this to "a slur about Muslims".[2][6] Farley was named as the report's author. Jewish News, reporting a story in The Times on 13 January 2022, wrote that he "said he was not responsible for putting the offending line in the story". The same article recorded a BBC correction stating that "during the editing process a line was added reporting that racial slurs about Muslims could be heard inside the bus" and that the line had been amended "to make clear that a 'slur about Muslims could be heard".[3]
The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit later described "an unusually high level of consultation among colleagues about the content of the recording" before the claim was included, and found that the original wording ("some racial slurs") "did not meet the BBC's standards of due accuracy". It regarded the online correction as resolving that point, but partly upheld complaints about the later failure to acknowledge that the claim was disputed.[6] Ofcom reached a similar conclusion on the online article in November 2022, and "did not consider it necessary to make a determination on the contents of the audio".[2]
See also
- Oxford Street Chanukah bus incident
- Executive Complaints Unit
- British Broadcasting Corporation
- Jake Wallis Simons
- Gnasher Jew
Notes
- ↑ Harry Farley, "An extraordinary result - why did MPs reject assisted dying bill this time?", BBC News, 11 September 2026, byline "Political correspondent".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ofcom, Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin, Issue 461: BBC News Online and BBC London News, 2 December 2021, 7 November 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lee Harpin, "BBC board member left 'furious' by broadcaster's Chanukah Oxford St attack report", Jewish News, 13 January 2022.
- ↑ Department of Religions and Theology, University of Manchester, "Spotlight on Harry Farley, alumnus", 18 December 2020.
- ↑ Johnnie Larkin, "Harry Farley", TV Newsroom, 16 May 2024, updated 19 May 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 BBC Executive Complaints Unit, "BBC News Online and BBC London, 2 December 2021", finding of 26 January 2022, clarified 3 February 2022.