Complaint
A reader complained the above headline was published without qualification, suggesting it was an undisputed fact that Climate Change had made heatwaves in US and Mexico 35 times more likely. The ECU considered the complaint against the standards for accuracy set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The ECU considered the evidence, which came from climate scientists, was put into proper context in the body of the article, with readers informed about its nature and the uncertainty which accompanies the use of computer modelling in this area – but the original headline presented the precise link between climate change and the heatwaves in America and Mexico as a matter of fact, and failed to meet the requirements for due accuracy in that respect. However, the subsequent edit, with the addition of quotation marks round “35 times more likely” and a note explaining the change, were sufficient for the Unit to consider the matter to have been appropriately resolved.
Resolved