BBC retracts false statistic in Letby Panorama

A Panorama episode on Lucy Letby faced criticism for a disputed statistic and is now corrected after experts questioned its accuracy.

BBC retracts false statistic in Letby Panorama

The BBC has corrected a line in Panorama that claimed breathing tubes were dislodged 40 times more often during Lucy Letby shifts at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The correction follows sharp criticism from statisticians and Letby’s lawyers who called the claim misleading and wrong. The programme has been updated on iPlayer and the language clarified to separate Letby’s training period from the shift data used in the analysis.
The broadcaster said the film did not intend to conflate shifts with ventilated shifts and noted that the underlying Liverpool Women’s Hospital review was the source for the figures, not a direct measurement by the Panorama team. Critics pushed for greater care with statistics in a high profile criminal case and for transparency about data sources.

The episode exposes a broader risk in investigative media when numbers are used to frame guilt or innocence. Journalists must balance probing questions with precise methodology, especially in cases that grip public attention and involve families who live with the aftermath. The correction shows how quickly errors can ripple across public perception, potentially shaping juries, public opinion, and the credibility of the media itself.
Beyond this specific episode, the incident underscores the need for clear data literacy in newsroom practices. As audiences demand faster turnarounds, robust checks and external validation become more important to preserve trust in reporting on sensitive, high stakes topics.

Highlights

The newsroom faces a test of credibility that will outpace any single correction.