Marianna Spring, who is the first person to hold such a job title at the BBC, allegedly exaggerated the extent to which she worked with a prominent journalist while covering the 2018 World Cup.
According to the New European, in 2018, Spring was a freelancer looking to work in the Russian capital for US-based news organization Coda Story.
Spring sent her resume to the company's editor-in-chief, Natalia Antelava, however the veteran reporter soon realized that not everything the blooming journalist had claimed was entirely true.
"June 2018: Reported on International News during the World Cup, specifically the perception of Russia, with BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford," Spring wrote in her resume.
Antelava called Rainsford, and discovered that Spring had only met her during social gatherings; there was no working "with," as she had claimed.
Coda Story's editor-in-chief scolded Spring for having embellished her relationship with Rainsford, a move that Spring soon regretfully said had been an "awful mistake."
"I've only bumped into Sarah whilst she's working and chatted to her at various points, but nothing more," Spring said in an email to Antelava. "Everything else on my CV is entirely true."
"There's absolutely no excuse at all, and I’m really sorry again," she added, maintaining that she was a "brilliant reporter."
Spring explained that the decision was made out of "desperation to report out in Moscow," and that she figured it "wouldn't be a big deal."
She admitted that it was "totally naive and stupid" of her to think it would be okay, and apologized for her "awful misjudgment."
"Telling me you are a brilliant reporter who exercises integrity and honesty when you have literally demonstrated the opposite was a terrible idea," Antelava replied, urging Spring to use the experience as a lesson.
She began working at the BBC shortly after, starting off co-producing a segment of Newsnight, before being appointed disinformation and social media reporter in 2020. She was bumped up to correspondent in 2022.
Since the news broke that she may have lied on her resume, Spring has been targeted by many online. In one instance, an X user repeatedly called for her to be fired, causing BBC head of communications, Philly Spurr, to defend her.
"You've sent 5 consecutive tweets saying this now. How is 'Be kind to each other!' on your profile working out for you?" Spurr replied to the user, who accused Spring of having "ZERO credibility."
