Complaint
A viewer complained the programme gave a misleading impression that a pod of dolphins had been filmed hunting Atlantic salmon in the River Ness. 聽The ECU assessed the programme against the standards on accuracy set out in the 大象传媒 Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The programme looked at the role played by fresh water in the natural world. 聽Sir David Attenborough introduced the sequence involving bottlenose dolphins by saying 鈥渉ere in northern Scotland鈥 and referred to the dolphins by explaining 鈥淎 pod has gathered at the mouth of the River Ness鈥. Later in the programme a sequence referred to filming 鈥渘ear Inverness in north east Scotland鈥. 聽The ECU understands the dolphins were filmed close to Chanonry Point in the Moray Firth, a stretch of water relatively close to the mouth of the Ness. 聽The ECU did not agree viewers would have been misled in any significant or material way by the location given in the programme.
The complainant also objected to a reference to the filming of Atlantic salmon swimming upstream to their breeding ground which he claimed was incorrectly located as being in the River Ness. 聽In fact the sequence was filmed in several rivers in Scotland to capture the different elements of the journey salmon undertake. 聽This is a recognised practice in making natural history programmes and in the ECU鈥檚 view the script was not so specific as to give a misleading impression on that fact.
Not Upheld