Editing Jeremy Paxman (section)

==Controversies==
[[File:Jeremy Paxman (cropped).jpg|thumb|Paxman in February 2014]]

While presenting a ''Newsnight'' segment in 2005, Paxman referred to [[Secretary of State for Health]] [[John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]] as an "attack dog". In response, Reid accused Paxman of criticising him due to Reid's [[Glasgow dialect|Glaswegian accent]]. Paxman responded to Reid's comment by stating that he admired his "knowledge" and "strength of character", but could not understand why Reid went "doolally" over Paxman's criticism of him, further claiming that it was "extremely bizarre" that certain [[Scottish people]] had a "[[Scottish cringe|chip on their shoulder]]" over their nationality. He went on to state that "I mean down here we live under a sort of [[Scottish Raj]]... I don't see why there is any reason for them to feel chippy. Do we complain about it? No we don't. I think it's absurd. I don't understand wherein lies this angst." In reaction to Paxman's statements on Scotland, twenty Scottish MPs, including [[Jim Sheridan (politician)|Jim Sheridan]], [[Iain Luke]] and [[Brian Donohoe]], signed a [[House of Commons motion]] criticising the statements as "insulting, irresponsible, divisive and snobbish".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Scots MPs slam Paxman 'Raj' jibe|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4350233.stm|website=[[BBC News]]|date=15 March 2005|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref> 

In 2008, Paxman's employment of [[domestic worker]]s became the subject of public attention after the ''[[News of the World]]'' newspaper published an article  about two Romanian nationals who had been employed by Paxman. The article contained testimonies from the two workers, who criticised Paxman for treating them "like a common serving girl" and paying wages of only £200 per week, which was under the [[National Minimum Wage Act 1998|British minimum wage]] (though as the two were live-in workers the minimum wage did not apply to them). They also criticised Paxman for not giving them an official [[employment contract]] or [[paid time off]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=Emine|last=Saner|title=Paxo's dirty laundry gets a very public airing|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/feb/12/5|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=12 February 2008|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref> In the same year, Paxman was the subject of further controversy when he described the work of Scottish poet [[Robert Burns]] as "sentimental doggerel" in the introduction of the 2008 edition of ''[[Chambers Dictionary]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Paxman slammed over Burns comment|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7561800.stm|website=[[BBC News]]|date=14 August 2008|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref> 

On a ''Newsnight'' segment aired on 31 May 2012, Paxman, discussing the possibility of a [[Greek withdrawal from the eurozone]], stated that Greece, "like a bad [[kebab]]", faced the possibility of being "vomited out of the single currency". This statement was criticised in the same segment by the Greek [[Ministry of the Environment and Energy (Greece)|Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change]] [[Giorgos Papakonstantinou]], who told Paxman during an interview that "Can I take issue with your 'bad kebab’ analogy, which I find offensive. The [[Greek economy]] is in a crisis and the [[Greek people]] are going through a lot, and deserve some respect, and I really did not find that very appropriate."<ref>{{Cite news|first=Tim|last=Walker|title=BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman is condemned over 'offensive' Greece kebab remarks|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9303331/BBC-Newsnight-presenter-Jeremy-Paxman-is-condemned-over-offensive-Greece-kebab-remarks.html|website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=1 June 2012|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref> While appearing on ''[[The Graham Norton Show]]'' in 2013, Paxman referred to British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] as a "complete idiot" for his role in Britain's [[First World War centenary]] commemorations. In response, MP [[Rob Wilson]] wrote to the [[director-general of the BBC]], [[Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead|Lord Hall]], to demand an apology from Paxman.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Thair|last=Shaikh|title=Downing Street demands apology after Jeremy Paxman calls David Cameron 'complete idiot'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/downing-street-demands-apology-after-jeremy-paxman-calls-david-cameron-complete-idiot-8931226.html|website=[[The Independent]]|date=10 November 2013|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref> In an interview conducted in the same year with [[Russell Brand]], Paxman revealed that he had not voted at a recent election due to finding the available candidates "unappetising", which led to criticism from Deputy Prime Minister [[Nick Clegg]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=Heather|last=Saul|title=Nick Clegg condemns 'sneering' Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nick-clegg-condemns-sneering-newsnight-presenter-jeremy-paxman-8926307.html|website=[[The Independent]]|date=7 November 2013|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref>

[[John Pilger]] has raised Paxman's membership of the [[British-American Project]] in the context of political biases of [[mainstream media]].<ref name='R000665'>{{cite news | first=John | last=Pilger | title=Tainted hands across the water | date=13 December 2007 | work=New Statesman | url=http://www.newstatesman.com/media/2007/12/pilger-bap-values-british | access-date=26 November 2012 | quote=The BAP rarely gets publicity, which may have something to do with the high proportion of journalists who are alumni. Prominent BAP journalists are David Lipsey, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and assorted Murdochites. The BBC is well represented. On the Today programme, James Naughtie, whose broadcasting has long reflected his own transatlantic interests, has been an alumnus since 1989. Today's newest voice, Evan Davis, formerly the BBC's zealous economics editor, is a member. And at the top of the BAP website home page is a photograph of Jeremy Paxman and his endorsement. 'A marvellous way of meeting a varied cross-section of transatlantic friends,' says he. | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508063953/http://www.newstatesman.com/media/2007/12/pilger-bap-values-british | archive-date=8 May 2013 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Paxman was criticised{{by whom|date=September 2021}} for his presentation of the BBC documentary ''Britain's Great War''. While describing how British [[conscientious objectors]] were jailed and threatened with the death penalty because killing was against their beliefs, Paxman ventured his own opinion that it was the objectors themselves who were at fault, and that they were "extreme". The conscientious objectors, Paxman said, "have always struck me as cranks".<ref name="crankshuffpo">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/04/jeremy-paxman-britains-great-war-cranks_n_4721895.html|title=Jeremy Paxman Brands Conscientious Objectors of WW1 'Cranks' – Twitter Reacts|website=HuffPost|date=4 February 2014|access-date=2 August 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802204842/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/04/jeremy-paxman-britains-great-war-cranks_n_4721895.html|archive-date=2 August 2017}}</ref><ref name="cranksecho">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/leisure/national/10987654.display/|title=Paxman attacked over war 'cranks'|newspaper=Daily Echo|location=Southampton|date=5 February 2014|access-date=2 August 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802163543/http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/leisure/national/10987654.display/|archive-date=2 August 2017}}</ref>

In 2017, Paxman's interviews of [[Jeremy Corbyn]] and [[Theresa May]] for the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|upcoming general election]] were described by journalist [[Michael Deacon (journalist)|Michael Deacon]] as "embarrassing".<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/29/jeremy-paxman-used-brilliant-happened/ |title=Jeremy Paxman used to be brilliant. What happened? |access-date=30 May 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170530072846/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/29/jeremy-paxman-used-brilliant-happened/ |archive-date=30 May 2017  }}</ref> Deacon opined that Paxman's pugnacious style of questioning had become tired, claiming that he had been "doing an impression of himself".<ref name="auto"/>