Complaint
A viewer complained that the programme failed to make clear that a guest, billed as an “expert on local Government”, had also been a Labour local councillor. The ECU assessed whether the output met the standards of accuracy and impartiality set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The Guidelines say BBC output “should not automatically assume that contributors from other organisations (such as academics, journalists, researchers and representatives of charities and think-tanks) are unbiased. Appropriate information about their affiliations, funding and particular viewpoints should be made available to the audience, when relevant to the context”. The guest in this instance, Professor Richard Kerley, is primarily known as one of Scotland’s leading experts in public sector administration and records show it is forty years since he last stood for election. The ECU did not consider therefore that misleading for viewers or lacking in impartiality.
Not Upheld