Appeal from beyond grave is rejected

The Supreme Court has rejected a legal challenge against the BBC from beyond the grave.

The late Steven Sugar fought a six-year legal battle to gain access to an internal BBC report that analysed its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr Sugar, who suspected an anti-Israeli bias in reporting from the Middle East, applied in 2005 for disclosure of the Balen Report under the Freedom of Information Act.

Following her husband’s death from cancer at 61, his widow Fiona Paveley pursued the battle on his behalf to the Supreme Court. But yesterday its five justices dismissed the appeal. All agreed the report was “outside the scope” of the act, as the High Court and appeal court had ruled.