Complaint
A viewer complained that the programme did not report that the Reform UK candidate for Orkney and Shetland had said in a social media posting that Nicola Sturgeon “should be shot”, and contrasted this with the extensive coverage given to racist comments about Rishi Sunak by a Reform canvasser in England. The ECU considered whether the complaint raised issues in connection with the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy or impartiality.
Outcome
Noting that the candidate’s posting had received some coverage on other BBC outlets, the ECU considered its omission from the programme complained of was a legitimate exercise of editorial judgement by the programme-makers as to its newsworthiness in comparison with other matters covered by the programme, and that it resulted in no breach of the BBC’s standards of accuracy and impartiality.
Not upheld