Complaint
A listener complained that a reference to Mao Zedong as a mass murderer was inaccurate and questioned why other historical figures, like President Truman, were not similarly described.Β The ECU considered whether the remark met the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs standards of due accuracy.
Outcome
The reference to Mao Zedong was made in the course of the introduction to an item about the recent National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Β The presenter explained: βThat was the moment Xi Jinping strode onto the red carpet at the Great Hall of the People after being confirmed as the worldβs most powerful dictator. Β The first Chinese leader since the mass murderer Chairman Mao to serve more than two terms in officeβ.Β The ECU noted that the complainant had already been alerted to a biographical article about Mao Zedongβs legacy which explained how, after the launch of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), millions of people were forced into manual labour and tens of thousands were executed as counter-revolutionaries. Β In addition, official government records published in China in the 1980s suggest that 16.5 million died in the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962). Β In the ECUβs view the description of Mao Zedong was therefore duly accurate. Β As President Truman had no relevance to the topic of the item, the question of how he might be described did not arise.
Not Upheld