Complaint
A viewer complained that a reference to the diversity of Liz Truss’s new cabinet showed anti-Conservative bias. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s standards of impartiality.
Outcome
The presenter told viewers Liz Truss had appointed what was “said to be” the most diverse Cabinet in history. The complainant argued there was no need for such a qualification and that, by casting doubt on the claim, the BBC gave the impression of bias. In the ECU’s view, however, there were many ways to measure diversity and, while the focus in the media had been on gender and race, this did not exhaust the characteristics which might be relevant to an assessment of the Cabinet’s diversity. The presenter’s qualification therefore appeared to the ECU to be appropriate recognition that the claim in question was in principle contestable, with no implications for impartiality.
Not Upheld