Saturday, July 19, 2008





1 comment:

crandles said...

"The Broadcasting Code requires Channel 4 to show "due impartiality" on "matters of major political and industrial controversy and major matters relating to current public policy".

The last segment of the programme, dealing with the politics of climate change, broke this obligation, Ofcom judged, and did not reflect a range of views, as required under the code.

However, the regulator said it did not believe, given the nature of the programme, that this led to the audience being "materially misled so as to cause harm or offence" - the standard that Ofcom says complaints have to reach.


This being so, it says, disputing the scientific link between human activity and climate change does not meet the Broadcasting Code's definition of "controversial". "

This implies madness on two counts:

1. If it is controverial code says don't mislead but if uncontroverial then misleading is OK.

2. If it hinged on controversy being needed when the sentence included "matters of major political and industrial controversy and major matters relating to current public policy"
suggest that that there is neither controversy (true) but also that climate change is not a 'major matters relating to current public policy'.

Probably needs a review of the judgement rather than the BBC news story.