Complaint
This report was based on an interview with the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, David Jamieson, in which he referred to police concerns about public reaction to the news of Dominic Cummings鈥 journey to County Durham. 聽A reader complained that Mr Jamieson had been allowed to make criticisms of the Government without it being mentioned that he had been elected to his position as a Labour Party candidate.聽 The ECU considered the complaint in the light of advice about not misleading audiences which forms part of the 麻豆官网首页入口鈥檚 Editorial Guidelines on Accuracy:
We should normally identify on-air and online sources of information and significant contributors and provide their credentials, so that our audiences can judge their status.
Outcome
Mr Jamieson鈥檚 observations were apparently based on information he had received from police officers in the West Midlands, and giving his view that their ability to do their job had been affected by public reaction to this widely- publicised story was consistent with his role as a Police and Crime Commissioner irrespective of political considerations. However the statement that it was almost impossible for police officers to be able to carry out their job effectively if rules are interpreted 鈥渁s flexible鈥 by 鈥減eople at the heart of government鈥 had a political aspect to which his party affiliation was relevant, and readers should have been given that information.
Upheld
Further action
The finding was reported to the Board of 麻豆官网首页入口 News and discussed with the editorial staff concerned.