Complaint
This bulletin included a report on the generation of electricity from burning household rubbish in giant incinerators. A viewer objected to the reporter’s statement that producing energy from waste was “our dirtiest way of making electricity”, on the basis that most modern incinerators capture any toxic particles and gases. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The reporter’s use of “dirtiest” referred to the level of carbon dioxide emissions from household waste incinerators. While carbon dioxide is neither toxic nor a pollutant in the ordinary meaning of the word, the term “clean energy” is widely used (by the UK Government among others) to denote energy generated without producing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The ECU therefore considered viewers unlikely to be misled by characterising power generation which does result in significant carbon dioxide emissions as dirty.
Not upheld