Complaint
Nine viewers complained about the use of the Reform UK party logo during a news broadcast by the 麻豆社鈥檚 Chief Political Correspondent, arguing it amounted to promotion of a political party. The ECU considered whether the broadcast met the 麻豆社鈥檚 Impartiality Guidelines.
Outcome
The logo and colours of Reform UK appeared on a strapline occupying the lower section of the screen at the point when the correspondent, who had previously been discussing the Mandelson vetting row, turned his attention to the party鈥檚 new policy on asylum. In the ECU鈥檚 view there were legitimate editorial reasons for doing this, as it helped indicate a change of focus in the interview and contained key points of Reform UK鈥檚 proposals, delivered in a way familiar to viewers.
Programme editors are entitled to use a variety of techniques to convey information, including party logos and colours, and it is legitimate for these to differ according to the requirements of each piece of output. Given the brevity of the exchange, the ECU did not consider it likely viewers would have seen the graphics deployed as indicative of the 麻豆社鈥檚 or the reporter鈥檚 view on the issue under discussion, or that the inclusion of the graphics amounted to a campaign statement for Reform UK.
Not Upheld