Complaint
A viewer complained a Conservative MSP’s dispute with Police Scotland in connection with Scotland’s Hate Crime Act, while widely reported in online media, had been “completely missing from Â鶹ԼÅÄ Scotland newsâ€.Ìý As the story seemed to him to expose the SNP to criticism, he regarded its neglect as a manifestation of pro-SNP bias by Â鶹ԼÅÄ Scotland. ÌýThe ECU considered the complaint in the light of the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
In principle decisions on how much coverage to give a news story rest with programme editors. ÌýCircumstances can arise when the absence of coverage gives rise to bias by omission but the ECU noted the story to which the complainant referred was the subject of a substantial online article and featured on both the The Nine (Â鶹ԼÅÄ Scotland) and Radio Scotland.Ìý The ECU therefore saw no grounds for concluding that the exercise of legitimate editorial discretion had resulted in bias on this occasion.
Not Upheld