An investigation has been launched into the impartiality of the BBC's coverage of the unrest in Bahrain and other Arab countries.
The BBC Trust will examine how events in Bahrain, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen were tackled.
It will look at coverage on BBC national TV and radio, online content and BBC World News, starting from events which happened in Tunisia in December last year.
The review will be led by Salzburg Global Seminar senior vice-president Edward Mortimer, who is former UN communications director and expert in Middle East affairs.
"The events that came to be known as the Arab Spring were extremely fast-moving and complex. That makes it a difficult story to cover," said BBC trustee and Trust Editorial Standards Committee chair Alison Hastings.
"The challenge for the BBC, as with all controversial areas, is to ensure that it maintains the high standards of impartiality and accuracy that audiences expect, both in the UK and around the world, where many rely on the BBC's international news services."
The review will include content analysis, interviews with interested parties and audience research.
The findings will be published in autumn next year.
