Complaint
This bulletin included a report on illegal immigration into the UK, in which the reporter interviewed some migrants seeking to cross the English Channel from France. A viewer objected to the reporter’s suggestion that they were fleeing from war, as they were currently in a country which was at peace. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The reporter said “We meet countless people from Africa and the Middle East, all fleeing, fighting and failed states back home, all wanting access to jobs and healthcare”. The words “back home” made clear that the migrants were not under the immediate threat of war, and there was no departure from the BBC’s standards of accuracy.
Not upheld