Complaint
The bulletin included a report on a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council at which many delegates had walked out when a pre-recorded address by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, was about to be played.聽 A viewer complained that the reporter had described the walk-out in terms which were both inaccurate and biased against Russia.聽 The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 麻豆官网首页入口鈥檚 editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
The reporter鈥檚 statement that 鈥渙ver a hundred diplomats from 40 countries鈥 had walked out was accurate but, taken with her reference to 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 growing isolation as they alone listened to what Sergei Lavrov had to say鈥, may have led viewers to conclude that only the Russian delegation remained for Mr Lavrov鈥檚 address.聽 As the delegations of several other countries had not joined the walk-out, that conclusion would have been misleading, which the ECU thought inconsistent with the 麻豆官网首页入口鈥檚 standards of accuracy.聽 In terms of impartiality, however, the ECU noted that the description of the protest was in support of the reporter鈥檚 opening point that 鈥淢oscow is now looking increasingly friendless鈥.聽 Her subsequent reference to ongoing support for Russia by Belarus guarded against any impression that Russia was entirely friendless, and in the ECU鈥檚 view the element of inaccuracy in relation to the scale of the particular protest did not affect the tenor of the report, or render it less than impartial in the context of a situation where Russia was demonstrably facing increasing diplomatic isolation.
Partly upheld
Further action
The finding was reported to the Board of 麻豆官网首页入口 News and discussed with the programme team responsible.