The BBC is renowned for asking tough questions but yesterday it ignited a furore by asking readers if homosexuals should be executed.
The state-owned news service posed the question on its website following debate in the Ugandan parliament over whether same-sex intercourse should be punishable by death.
"Bravo to the Ugandans for this wise decision, a bright step in eliminating this menace from your society," wrote one reader, Aaron.
Another wrote: "Totally agree. Ought to be imposed in the UK too, asap. Bring back some respectable family values".
Of the 600 comments in reponse to the question, only 200 were deemed appropriate to be published — with 51 of those arguing homosexuals should be executed.
On the webpage the BBC admits to presenting "a stark and disturbing question, but this is the reality behind an anti-homosexuality bill being debated on Friday by the Ugandan parliament".
But the news service has faced intense public backlash with one British politician labelling the question "more than offensive" and pointing out that most respondents were from Britain, not Uganda.
BBC World Service chief Liliane Landor maintained the question was justified.
"We wanted to frame the question starkly, in order to reflect the stark reality of the Ugandan bill," she told The Guardian.
"The programme was a dignified exchange between people who have differing beliefs."
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