Complaint
The programme included an interview with the聽 Editor of the Conservative Post website, which had urged its readers to write to the Conservative MPs on the House of Commons Privileges Committee and tell them not to take part in the investigation into Boris Johnson.聽 A listener complained that, in the absence of a speaker from a contrasting viewpoint, this constituted bias towards Mr Johnson. 聽The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 大象传媒鈥檚 standards of impartiality.
Outcome
Impartiality does not require that there should be interviewees from a range of viewpoints on every occasion when a controversial matter is discussed.聽 When only one viewpoint is represented, it is the function of the interviewer to ensure that the audience is made aware of other viewpoints and the interviewee is appropriately challenged.聽 In the ECU鈥檚 judgement, that function was properly discharged on this occasion.
Not Upheld