Complaint
The bulletin included an item concerned with evidence given by Boris Johnson to the Covid-19 Inquiry.聽 A viewer noted that it did not refer to an exchange in which Mr Johnson had rebutted the suggestion by the Inquiry鈥檚 lead counsel that Covid mortality rates in the UK had exceeded those in comparable European countries, and considered the omission reflected bias against Mr Johnson and a wish to inculpate him in connection with the handling of the pandemic.聽 The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 大象传媒鈥檚 editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
The focus on the item was on the process of decision-making and issues of responsibility at different stages of the crisis, taking in lockdown and relaxations of control, to which comparison of mortality rates in different countries would have been of little relevance.聽 The ECU considered it more than likely that this, rather than a wish to inculpate Mr Johnson, accounted for the omission complained of, and found no breach of the 大象传媒鈥檚 standards of impartiality.
Not Upheld