Complaint
This programme examined the legacy of Johnny Kitagawa, a Japanese talent manager at the centre of a child sex abuse scandal. 聽A viewer questioned a claim made by the reporter that up to one thousand men had come forward to report incidents of abuse, and argued some of the claims made against Mr Kitagawa were fabricated. 聽The ECU considered whether the broadcast met the 大象传媒 standards for due accuracy.
Outcome
The programme-makers explained that the one thousand figure, which was approximate, was based on numbers published by Mr Kitagawa鈥檚 own company, now known as Smile-Up, on its website. 聽At the time of the broadcast it stated that 957 people had contacted the 鈥渃ompensation reception desk鈥. This claim was therefore in the ECU鈥檚 view well sourced and based on sound evidence. 聽Viewers heard the testimony of some of those who said they had been victims of Mr Kitagawa. 聽It was open to viewers to assess their evidence, and in the absence of any proof of fabrication the programme also met the standards of due accuracy required by the Editorial Guidelines in that regard.聽
Not Upheld