The BBC will put live coverage of sensitive events like the Beslan school siege or the 9/11 attacks on a time delay.

An excerpt from the BBC story:

The policy is set out in Editorial Guidelines coming into effect in July.

They will replace the BBC Producers' Guidelines which have been revised to reflect Ofcom's new broadcasting code and the "changing media environment".

There is also an explicit commitment for the first time that "accuracy is more important than speed".

"The guidelines are part of our contract with our audiences," said Stephen Whittle, BBC Controller of Editorial Policy.

"These are our editorial ethics and values and the standards we set for ourselves. We intend to live and be judged by them."

'Upsetting' images

Last September, the BBC and most other TV news networks reported live from the scene of the Beslan siege in Russia, in which more than 330 people lost their lives.

The coverage fuelled a debate over whether some of the images were too graphic for audiences.

One of the new BBC directives states a delay "must be installed when broadcasting live coverage of sensitive and challenging events".

The delay, which it is understood will be for about two seconds, would allow editors time to exclude any potential material.

But that suggests to me the guidelines are more about taste than the accuracy of facts.

That's not a bad thing. I just wonder why they spin it as an accuracy issue.