The BBC has released a response following a number of complaints following a report by Sarah Smith on the News at Six.
The headline report from the BBC News Scotland editor claimed that Alex Salmond wanted Nicola Sturgeon to resign as First Minister.
She said that Alex Salmond "believes Nicola Sturgeon has misled Parliament and broken the Ministerial Code which he thinks means she should resign.”
However, the former First Minister had not called for Nicola Sturgeon to step down during an appearance at the Scottish Parliament inquiry.
In their complaints section, the BBC release a response to the incident which read: "During our coverage on the News at Six of Alex Salmond’s evidence session at the Scottish Parliamentary inquiry into the Scottish government’s handling of allegations made against him, Sarah Smith said Mr Salmond had called for Nicola Sturgeon to resign.
READ MORE: BBC issue correction after saying Alex Salmond wants Nicola Sturgeon to resign
"In fact, Alex Salmond had told the inquiry ‘it’s not for me to suggest what the consequences might be’ for Ms Sturgeon. Both Sarah Smith and the BBC News Press team clarified the position on Twitter soon after the programme.
"This edition of the programme was removed from iPlayer.
"This mistake has also been acknowledged on the BBC Corrections and Clarification website"
It continued: "On the News at Ten later that evening, we made clear that while Mr Salmond had said he believed Ms Sturgeon had broken the ministerial code, he had stopped short of calling for her to resign; this was reflected both in the introduction to our report and in Sarah’s piece live to the studio. We also featured the clip of Mr Salmond’s statement on this."
A report of complaints from the BBC showing data up to February 28, confirmed that a total of 348 complaints were made to the corporation following the report.
Sarah Smith tweeted following the incident to acknowledging her mistake writing on social media: "1. On the 6 o’clock news headline tonight I said that Alex Salmond had claimed the First Minister had ‘broken the ministerial code and that he thinks she should resign’. I would like to clarify that Mr Salmond did not say that the First Minister should resign."
Following the incident, a number of BBC colleagues moved to support Sarah Smith on social media.
READ MORE: BBC colleagues support 'bullied' Sarah Smith after wrongly saying Alex Salmond felt FM should resign
Mark Urban, the BBC Newsnight's diplomatic editor was one of those who defended Sarah Smith. He tweeted: "Solidarity with my colleague @BBCsarahsmith who does an excellent job amid a cacophony of people trying to bully her."
And Martin Patience, the BBC Middle East correspondent added: "She made a mistake and immediately admitted that mistake. You know what? It happens. But the difference is when you do it on the telly everyone knows about. There’s no hiding. So, honestly, ask yourself: have you ever made a mistake at work?"
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