Daily Mail admits BBC claims were wrong... but repeats them anyway

The Daily Mail has admitted it misled readers over claims the BBC had imposed a ban on the use of 'AD' and 'BC' on dates. In her latest column Melanie Phillips has conceded it is not a BBC-wide initiative, as the Mail had claimed:

"...this edict seems to have been laid down merely by some obscure tributary of the BBC website rather than from on high."

If the BBC was waiting for an actual apology, they will have to keep waiting.

But despite admitting it got its facts wrong, the Mail actually repeats these very same claims - in the very same article.

Phillips' article also reads:

"...the BBC...has decided that the terms AD and BC... must be replaced by the terms Common Era and Before Common Era."

It then repeats:

"The BBC has announced it will no longer be using the abbreviations BC and AD..."

Only then do we get to Phillips' admission that these claims are not actually true - all in the space of a few paragraphs.

See also:
Boris wades in to BBC 'dategate'
The Daily Mail's 'whodunnit' journalism