Fiona Bruce, the host of BBC's Question Time, has been criticised for her handling of a recent episode where panellist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown referred to Stanley Johnson – father of the prime minister – as a "wife-beater".
Bruce gave the allegation some context and pushed back against Alibhai-Brown's claim.
However, critics argue that Bruce should have cut the segment and prevented the allegation from being aired in the first place.
In a column for The Telegraph, Julia Hartley-Brewer defends Bruce's handling of the situation and argues that pushback against guests is necessary not only for balance but also as a legal safeguard.
She writes: "Which is why the treatment of Fiona Bruce this week has been so offensively idiotic."
In contrast, The Guardian's Jim Waterson reports that the BBC has received over 100 complaints about the segment, with many expressing concern over the broadcast of unsubstantiated allegations.
In response to the complaints, a BBC spokesperson stated: "As viewers would expect from Question Time, the programme featured robust and challenging debate on a range of issues."
The Independent's Amrou Al-Kadhi argues that while Bruce should have given context to the allegation, she should not have given Alibhai-Brown a platform to make unsubstantiated claims: "Journalistic impartiality is one thing, but when dealing with baseless allegations against private citizens, the very act of lending airtime to such claims is a partisan way of framing a debate."