Complaint
The bulletin included a piece by the BBC’s Home Editor (also broadcast in the 10pm bulletin) which reviewed some of the issues facing the new Prime Minister at the time. A viewer complained that it was inaccurate and biased in relation to its treatment of a housing development proposal in the Epsom and Ewell constituency, including an interview with the putative developer but not providing an equal opportunity for opponents of the proposal to explain their position. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s standards of due accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
The situation in Epsom and Ewell was chosen to illustrate “The challenge of providing the people of this country with a decent and affordable home”, drawing on the area of the country in which the problem is most acute. The item included contributions from two critics of the scheme and, although they were briefer than the developer’s contribution, this was sufficient to ensure due impartiality in a context where it was not the merits of the scheme which were at issue, but the nature of the more general problem it illustrated.
Not Upheld