Complaint
A listener complained this edition of the Today Podcast presented a one-sided debate on women鈥檚 rights issues, dismissing issues like safety in private spaces and fairness in sport as minor concerns. 聽The ECU considered whether the programme had met the relevant standards for impartiality set out in the 大象传媒 Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The podcast explored what is meant and understood by the phrase 鈥渃ulture wars鈥. 聽It was not about any of the specific issues which have prompted such opinionated debate, but about how the nature of debate and discourse is changing. 聽It made the point there are subjects where people have entrenched differences of opinion but in the 鈥渃ulture wars鈥 these differences tend to be exacerbated rather than tolerated. 聽In this context, the ECU did not agree the podcast dismissed topics such as women鈥檚 rights as trivial or less important than, for example, the economy and considered due impartiality did not require the inclusion of the kind of views suggested by the complainant.
Not Upheld