BBC to apologise to Primark over child labour footage
The BBC must apologise to Primark after a Panorama documentary about the retailer contained footage that was probably not genuine, according to the BBC Trust.
The Primark special featured a scene from a Bangalore clothing workshop - showing children at work - which was "more likely than not" unauthentic, the trust said in a report.
Alison Hastings, chairwoman of the BBC Trust's editorial standards committee, said: "The BBC's investigative journalism is rightly held in very high regard, and for more than 50 years Panorama has made a very significant contribution to that.
"But great investigative journalism must be based on the highest standards of accuracy, and this programme on Primark failed to meet those standards.
"While it's important to recognise that the programme did find evidence elsewhere that Primark was contravening its own ethical guidelines, there were still serious failings in the making of the programme.
"The trust would like to apologise on behalf of the BBC to Primark and to the audience at home for this rare lapse in quality."
The BBC is now expected to make an on-air apology.
Updated: A video of Primark's case, as well as the on-air apology can be viewed below.