BBC official says the network would feature flat-Earthers on air because leadership doesn't believe in 'cancel culture'

• A BBC official said the network would feature flat-Earthers on air to get diverse viewpoints.
• David Jordan told a House of Lords committee that leadership doesn't believe in "cancel culture."

The BBC's director of editorial policy said on Tuesday that the network would feature flat-Earthers on air because its leadership doesn't believe in "cancel culture."

It's "absolutely critical" that the BBC represents "all points of view," the top BBC official, David Jordan, told a House of Lords communications and digital committee that met to discuss the BBC's impartiality and editorial standards.

"Flat-earthers are not going to get as much space as people who believe that the Earth is round, but very occasionally it might be appropriate to interview a flat-Earther," Jordan said. "And if a lot of people believed in flat Earth we'd need to address it more than we do at the present time."

He added that the global broadcaster is committed to making sure that different viewpoints and perspectives are included on air.

"We don't subscribe to the 'cancel culture' that some groups would put forward," Jordan said.

He said that it's important that people in the audience believe their viewpoints are being both challenged and represented.

The committee meeting comes as the BBC has attempted to review its own impartiality while staff wrestle with how to cover topics like race, politics, and gender, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.