Miss Donalda Mackinnon
Controller /Secretary
BBC UK/ Scotland
Glasgow
North Britain
11 May 2017
Dear Miss Mackinnon,
Scotland’s Independence Referendum Party today formally complains to you about biased broadcasting by the BBC’s ‘Mis’-Reporting Scotland TV programme.
In defiance of the OFCOM impartiality rules which national TV broadcasting companies are compelled to comply with, BBC TV’s (Mis) Reporting Scotland programme aired at 1830 hours on Wednesday 10 May 2017 breached the regulations requiring political fairness.
It breached the OFCOM rules by broadcasting an interview with a candidate from one party in a named Westminster parliamentary constituency (being Edinburgh West) – without providing equal air-time and representation from other political parties contesting the same seat.
In this Mis-Reporting Scotland programme, the BBC fed leading-questions by interviewer Laura McIver to the Liberal party’s candidate for Edinburgh West (Christine Jardine) – WITHOUT providing equal status to all – or any – candidates representing other major political parties contest the Edinburgh West seat at the Westminster parliament.
In clear contravention to the OFCOM rules requiring political balance, no candidates from any other party were interviewed on air along with the Liberal candidate – who is a former BBC Scotland employee.
The OFCOM rules clearly state that representatives from all other political parties contesting a parliamentary election to the Westminster parliament must be given the same – and equal prominence – in any broadcast programme on the election/ constituency.
Mark R. Whittet, Leader of Scotland’s Independence Referendum Party – and the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Edinburgh West – said: “The BBC Mis-Reporting Scotland TV programme clearly failed to comply with its obligation for equality and non-partisan reporting of the general election contest in Edinburgh West.
“Although self-evident BBC TV hostility against Scottish Independence has been clearly documented since its outrageously one-sided coverage in the 2014 Referendum on Scotland’s Independence – this is a further flagrant case of BBC bias – when the single-most important duty of the British state-funded broadcaster is impartiality, as also stipulated in law under the BBC Charter.