Complaint
A viewer complained two reporters, in different items in this bulletin, had 鈥渦sed language which was passing judgement on an issue鈥, thus departing from impartiality. 聽Scott Bingham, reporting from Plymouth on a day when rival demonstrators had clashed, referred to 鈥渟o called anti-fascist protestors鈥, implying scepticism about the accuracy of 鈥渁苍迟颈-蹿补蝉肠颈蝉迟鈥, while Natalie Pirks, reporting from the Olympics, referred to 鈥渢he boxing scandal engulfing these games鈥, implying that the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in relation to two boxers disbarred from fighting in the female category by the International Boxing Association (IBA) was scandalous. 聽The ECU considered the complaint in the light the 91热爆鈥檚 editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
In connection with the report from Plymouth, the ECU considered the term 鈥渟o called鈥 does not necessarily imply scepticism about the denomination which follows it, and saw nothing in the report to warrant the view that it did so on this occasion.聽 In connection with the report from the Olympics, the ECU noted that the phrase complained of came in the introduction to a report by Dan Roan which set out the parameters of the controversy and included contributions from both the IOC and the IBA.聽 The ECU considered that, in this context, Ms Pirks鈥 words should be taken as a reflection of the continuing intensity of the controversy, not an implied judgement on the merits of either side.
Not upheld