Complaint
This edition included an item about the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol on farmers. A viewer complained that it was inaccurate for the programme to say “Northern Ireland’s economy is performing better than any other part of the UK right now”. and that by giving the impression that Northern Ireland benefited from EU membership it amounted to “slanted propaganda in favour of the EU”. The ECU considered whether the report met the BBC’s editorial standards for accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
The programme reported on the experiences of a dairy farmer who exports the vast majority of his milk to the Republic of Ireland and a livestock farmer whose primary market is Great Britain. In summary, the dairy farmer said “the Protocol’s working for me” whereas the livestock farmer said “The issues we have with the Protocol are quite a lot actually”. This clearly met the requirement for due impartiality set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines. The reporter then sought to put the contrasting points of view into context:
For farmers like Sam [the livestock farmer] issues over exports to Britain are threatening their businesses but it’s not all bad news for Northern Ireland’s farmers. Overall, income from agriculture grew 8% in 2021 (Source: DAERA) and like Charlie’s milk, nearly 90% (Source: NISRA) of the country’s food and live animal exports are sent to Ireland and the EU so most farmers are free to send their produce unimpeded. Northern Ireland’s economy is performing better than any other part of the UK right now.
The ECU’s investigations suggest considerable thought went into the wording of a piece which was not in any event intended as a detailed guide to economic performance. The programme-makers took account of a range of economic indicators when referring to the performance of the Northern Irish economy. However after extensive research the ECU agreed it was not possible to be that definitive about the performance of the Northern Ireland economy from the available statistics.
It therefore upheld this aspect of the complaint on grounds of accuracy and also impartiality, as the specific statement as broadcast risked misleading viewers into believing the economic impact of the Protocol was agreed to be definitely positive for Northern Ireland as a whole at that time. The ECU did not however agree that the programme showed a general bias in favour of the EU. The reporter gave a clear and accurate summary of what the Protocol entailed and, with the exception of the assertion previously identified, how it affected Northern Ireland’s trade with Great Britain and the EU.
Partly Upheld