Complaint
On the day after the resignation of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson from the leadership of the DUP, the presenter conducted an interview with the BBC’s Ireland Reporter about the ongoing story. A viewer objected the presenter’s description of it as “a hugely significant story in Ireland”, on the grounds that its significance was for Northern Ireland and the UK, not Ireland as a whole. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
In her first answer the Ireland Reporter said “Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was a leader who London and Dublin could do business with, the proof being the restoration of power-sharing here at Stormont in recent weeks”. In the ECU’s view, this warranted the presenter’s reference to the story being “significant…in Ireland”.
Not Upheld