Complaint
The bulletin included an item on the challenge in the High Court to the ban on prayer rituals imposed by Michaela School. A viewer complained that the inclusion of contributions from two Muslim former pupils who expressed unhappiness about the ban rendered the item one-sided. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
No-one representing the school had been willing to give an interview, and the programme team had been unable to find former pupils prepared to offer a balancing view. However, the inclusion of relevant quotes from the Head Teacher’s recent interviews with other media was sufficient to ensure an appropriate standard of impartiality.
Not upheld