Complaint
A viewer complained that the programme failed to make clear that a guest, billed as an 鈥渆xpert on local Government鈥, had also been a Labour local councillor. 聽The ECU assessed whether the output met the standards of accuracy and impartiality set out in the 大象传媒 Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The Guidelines say 大象传媒 output 鈥渟hould not automatically assume that contributors from other organisations (such as academics, journalists, researchers and representatives of charities and think-tanks) are unbiased. Appropriate information about their affiliations, funding and particular viewpoints should be made available to the audience, when relevant to the context鈥.聽 The guest in this instance, Professor Richard Kerley, is primarily known as one of Scotland鈥檚 leading experts in public sector administration and records show it is forty years since he last stood for election. 聽The ECU did not consider therefore that misleading for viewers or lacking in impartiality.
Not Upheld