Michael Levy was made a peer in 1997
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Newsnight should not have described Lord Levy as "the Jewish boy from run-down Hackney Downs made good" in a profile of the Labour Party fundraiser, an investigation by the BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU) has found.
The profile was broadcast on BBC Two on March 16th in the context of coverage of the controversy over whether secret loans were given to the Labour Party in exchange for peerages. A viewer complained that the Jewish reference in Michael Crick's report was gratuitous and stereotyping.
The ECU, which investigates complaints independently of programme-makers, found that the reference was intended to reflect Lord Levy's strong identification with the Jewish community and his involvement in many Jewish charities. It upheld the complaint however because this intention was not clear in the item.
In a statement, the ECU said: "in the context of questionable financial dealings, the reference was open to interpretation as stereotyping."
