Complaint
At the end of an interview with the Shadow ±«Óătv Secretary Yvette Cooper, Laura Kuenssberg stated “plenty of people who come to this studio who would disagree with you and many people watching might disagree with you too”. Two viewers complained this showed anti-Labour bias. The ECU considered whether the interview met the standards for due impartiality set out in the ±«Óătv Editorial Guidelines..
Outcome
The ECU found no evidence Ms Kuenssberg had breached these guidelines in the course of her conversation with Ms Cooper. The interview lasted over ten minutes and the Shadow ±«Óătv Secretary was given ample opportunity to get her points across on a range of topics including the government’s policy on asylum and immigration.
At the end of the interview Ms Cooper, while discussing the upcoming general election, made a direct appeal to viewers to vote Labour to get rid of the Conservatives and then went on to list what she considered were the failings of the current government. At this point Ms Kuenssberg felt it appropriate to point out that people might disagree with Ms Cooper’s point of view.
In the ECU’s view this was the kind of robust challenge one might expect of a politician attempting to get across a party political message and was done in a polite and respectful manner.
Not Upheld