The BBC has been found to have broken Ofcom rules by broadcasting documentaries funded by special interests.
Ofcom's inquiry into the matter began in 2011, following an investigation by The Independent.
Citing nearly 200 BBC World News documentaries that were funded "at no cost or for a nominal sum and that had not carried sponsorship credits", Ofcom's report states that while there were "a number of practices which took place in the period under review that were at odds with the Code", there was no evidence found that "the way programmes were funded compromised the broadcasters' editorial independence".
The report confirms that many of the documentaries were funded by the Malaysian government, which provided £12 million over two years to promote Malaysia in factual and current affairs TV programmes.
The report details how accepting this funding breached both the impartiality and sponsorship rules.
A BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC Trust investigated these issues in 2011 and we apologised to viewers on air in February 2012.
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"We introduced a number of changes to our procedures to strengthen the protection of our editorial integrity at the time and a subsequent audit concluded that the measures were robust and working well.
"We accept Ofcom's findings and wish to re-iterate our commitment to the highest standards of broadcasting."
Tasha is a freelance writer for with a particular interest in the representation of women in film and TV. After graduating with a Literature degree then journalism qualifications with News Associates a few years further back than she’d like to admit, Tasha began her freelance career. She’s worked as a writer, editor and commissioning editor for a number of publications including Digital Spy. She is also a theatre critic. LinkedIn
