Read more: 25th anniversary of Bob Geldof’s ‘Live Aid’
The BBC has “unreservedly” apologized for their broadcast of a series of reports that insinuated funds raised by Live Aid to fight famine in Ethiopia were spent on weapons.
The corporation has decided to broadcast a series of apologies admitting it had “no evidence” for the claims.
Live Aid founder, Irishman Bob Geldof made the formal complaint about the reports after they were broadcast earlier this year.
The BBC program Assignment broadcast on the World Service radio channel in March reported that Live Aid funds had been diverted by the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front rebel group to buy weapons.
The story was then followed up on the BBC's TV and Internet news service accusing Live Aid as the source of the misdirected funds.
An internal BBC investigation found that the original story was misguiding.
An apology broadcast on World Service yesterday said: “The BBC wishes to apologise unreservedly to the Band Aid Trust for this misleading and unfair impression.
“The BBC had no evidence for these statements, and they shouldn’t have been broadcast.”
Bob Geldof welcomed the apology.
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