Gary Lineker to leave Match of the Day: How does BBC cover stories about itself?

Whenever big news stories involving the BBC come along, journalists at BBC News and BBC Sport are required to report on the corporation just like they would with any other information that is in the public interest.

BBC News and BBC Sport are internal divisions of the BBC, meaning journalists working here are not always privy to big decisions taken by those at the top of the corporation.

That means staff handle news involving their employer with the same approach and standards they would any other story – by attempting to verify information, contacting the press office, and requesting comment and interviews from those involved in the story.

They then aim to communicate the news to the public in the most impartial, timely and transparent way possible.

Journalists working for BBC News and BBC Sport sometimes even ‘doorstep’ their bosses – approaching senior figures for unplanned interviews at home, in corridors or on the street to discuss important, newsworthy matters.

Sometimes stories involving the BBC might be reported elsewhere first, for various reasons. Other media outlets may have been given information by a source that has not yet reached BBC journalists, or might have a different approach to the way they publish news stories.

BBC Sport has a policy of ‘double-sourcing’ the news it reports – verifying information with at least two separate entities before publishing to ensure that our news reporting is accurate.