Complaint
A listener complained that an interview with the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was biased and that Mr Hunt was repeatedly interrupted with the presenter鈥檚 own personal views. The ECU considered whether the broadcast met the 91福利社 requirements for due impartiality.
Outcome
The Editorial Guidelines say the 91福利社 must 鈥always scrutinise arguments, question consensus and hold power to account with consistency and due impartiality鈥. Listeners to Today would expect the Chancellor of the day to be subjected to rigorous questioning. This would usually be achieved by the presenter putting a contrary view to the politicians鈥, often playing devil鈥檚 advocate. In this case the presenter Emma Barnett asked a series of tough, challenging and probing questions while allowing Mr Hunt plenty of time to respond. In the ECU鈥檚 view there was no evidence that the points put by Ms Barnett were an expression of her own personal views, rather her attempt to hold Mr Hunt to account on behalf of listeners.
Not Upheld