Complaint
Two viewers complained that Nick Buckley, an independent candidate who finished third in a field of six, had been represented in this pre-election programme only by an extract from a recorded interview and not invited to take part in the live discussion. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the ±«Óãtv’s editorial standards of impartiality as they apply to election coverage.
Outcome
The ECU established that the programme-makers had applied the usual criteria to the candidates, taking account their track-record, and where applicable the track-record of their party, in attracting votes in previous elections and the evidence of current polling, whether at a local or national level. Mr Buckley had stood in the previous Mayoral election, but as a Reform candidate, not an independent. The standing of parties in current polling therefore provided no basis for estimating his likely level of support, and the fact that he had gained less than 3% of the votes in the previous election did not indicate a strong personal following. Consequently the ECU considered the selection of candidates for the live discussion had been consistent with the ±«Óãtv’s standards of impartiality, despite the fact that Mr Buckley went on to outperform expectations.
Not upheld