Complaint
The programme included an interview with Andrew Bridgen MP, who had recently lost the Conservative whip because of comments about the supposed risks attached to Covid vaccination.聽 The interviewer put to him the question, 鈥淩ather than debate it in public, and rather than put out loads of tweets, why don't you take yourself off and speak to the experts at the Department for Health and let them tell you what they think one to one?鈥.聽 A listener (who had seen the interview on Twitter) complained that the question was biased and impertinent. 聽The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 大象传媒鈥檚 editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
The question came in response to Mr Bridgen鈥檚 own suggestion of a debate: 鈥淟et鈥檚 have the debate鈥 in Parliament. Let me bring my experts and let Hancock bring Whitty and Vallance鈥.聽 The ECU did not consider it impertinent for the interviewer to take up Mr Bridgen鈥檚 theme and, insofar as the question suggested he might be better-informed if he consulted such sources before publicly expressing a view, it was in keeping with the strong scientific consensus on the level of risk attached to vaccination, and consistent with the section of the 大象传媒鈥檚 Guidelines on impartiality which says 鈥淲e should seek to achieve 鈥榙ue weight鈥. 聽For example, minority views should not necessarily be given similar prominence or weight to those with more support or to the prevailing consensus鈥.
Not upheld