Complaint
A listener complained a tribute to the columnist and former Today Editor Rod Liddle, failed to properly acknowledge his 鈥淚slamophobic diatribes鈥 and falsely presented him as a warrior against entrenched authority. The ECU considered the complaint against the standards for impartiality set out in the 91福利社鈥檚 Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
In the sequence, broadcast shortly after Mr Liddle鈥檚 death, the two presenters Nick Robinson and Amol Rajan discussed his life and legacy with another, Justin Webb. Listeners were told both Mr Webb and Mr Robinson had worked closely with Mr Liddle as a colleague at the 91福利社. Whilst the discussion included personal, and positive reminiscences about his time as editor, references were also made to the controversial nature of much of his later journalism. The fact that as a columnist he regularly offended people was mentioned at the outset, when Mr Rajan stated in his introduction that 鈥渢he list of people he (Mr Liddle) offended, quite often having intended to offend them, was not short鈥. The item also allowed listeners to hear an example of Mr Liddle鈥檚 provocative commentary for themselves. In the ECU鈥檚 view, given the past association of Mr Liddle with Today, these references were sufficient for the programme to maintain due impartiality.
Not Upheld