Complaint
A reader of the article (originally headlined "Europe gas prices: How far is Russia responsible?" ) complained that a graphic under the heading “The UK has much less gas storage than some other European countries†seriously understated the UK’s gas storage capacity. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The graphic sourced its data to Gas Infrastructure Europe. The authors of the article had no reason at the time to doubt the reliability of this source, and used the data in good faith. In response to enquiries from the ECU, however, Gas Infrastructure Europe explained that “our UK data coverage has been seriously disrupted & reduced following Brexitâ€Â and confirmed that the UK National Grid, whose data had been cited by the complainant, was the more accurate source. As the National Grid data showed substantially more storage capacity and more gas in storage, than the figures given in the graphic, and a note of clarification appended to the article did not address these points, the ECU concluded that the article had fallen short of the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s standards of due accuracy.
Upheld
Further action
The finding was reported to the Board of Â鶹ԼÅÄ News and discussed with the journalists responsible.