BBC brings editorial guidelines to life to show impartial reporting

The BBC has brought its editorial guidelines to life, against a backdrop of real, behind-the-scenes footage from the Ukraine war, to position itself as the home of accurate and impartial reporting.

To demonstate its "robust" newsgathering and editorial process, excerpts from the guidelines on gathering material appear on screen as the film follows a host of recognisable BBC journalists in protective clothing, including Clive Myrie, Orla Guerin, Lyse Doucet and Jeremy Bowen, as they get caught up in the middle of live combat.

Created in-house by BBC Creative, the hardhitting film also shows clips of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin, crowds of people fleeing Ukraine, buildings destroyed by war and editorial meetings.

The film concludes with Myrie as he receives the countdown ahead of a live broadcast on BBC News, alongside the message: "If you know how it's made, you can trust what it says. Trust is earned."

The creative team was Tom Flynn and Patxi Elizade.

"The 'Trust is earned' film shows the reality of news teams working on the ground, as they're steered by the BBC's editorial guidelines – it takes effort and energy, but above all humanity," Rasmus Smith Bech, creative director at BBC Creative, said.

"I can't imagine a more relevant message to put into the world right now. It's been an absolute priviledge to bring the guidelines to life and show how trust in the BBC is something that is continually earned, every day."