Complaint
A viewer questioned comments by a BBC reporter about Iran’s nuclear programme, in particular his judgment that the majority of Iranian people do not support the programme. The ECU considered whether the remarks met the BBC’s standards for accuracy.
Outcome
The BBC’s Editorial Guidelines say reporters may provide professional judgements, rooted in evidence and professional experience. In this case BBC News pointed to the fact it used a range of sources to assess public sentiment, including monitoring of social media and following academics and analysts. The ECU noted polling of Iranian public opinion on this issue offered sometimes contradictory results but overall considered the reporter’s analysis was sufficiently rooted in evidence to meet the requirements of the guidelines.
Not Upheld