Complaint
The programme looked at the general election campaign in Stroud and included a discussion between three candidates standing in the constituency, representing the Conservatives, the Labour Party and the Green Party.Ìý A representative of the Brexit Party complained that its candidate had been wrongly excluded from the discussion.
Ìý
Outcome
The Brexit Party candidate was represented in the item only by a brief clip from a pre-recorded interview.Ìý Although the party did not meet the criteria which would have required the programme to offer its candidate the opportunity of participating in the discussion, its claims to do so were no less than those of the Green Party, and it was inconsistent with the ±«Óãtv’s guidelines on election coverage that the Green Party was represented in the discussion while the Brexit Party was not.
Upheld
Further action
The finding has been discussed with the programme team and they have been reminded about the guidelines which apply during election periods.