Bias claim dogs STV ‘Happy Nat Year’ show
SCOTTISH Television faces a possible watchdog investigation after dozens of viewers complained about its Hogmanay programme.
Elaine C Smith’s Burdz Eye View of Hogmanay featured guests who are well-known supporters of Scottish independence.
Miss Smith, who was a member of the Yes Scotland board, was joined by comedienne Janey Godley, another backer of separatism, together with Nicola Sturgeon and the First Minister’s sister Gillian and mother Joan.
Some viewers commented online that the heavy bias in favour of independence supporters was a breach of strict broadcasting guidelines aimed at ensuring impartiality – a charge which STV has denied.
The Mail can reveal UK communications regulator Ofcom is assessing 37 complaints it has received about the show before deciding whether to launch a formal investigation.
Last night, Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: ‘lt is important that the media is representative of all viewpoints and it is not surprising that there have been complaints to Ofcom.’
STV insisted on January 1 that there had been no complaints about the show, but this was challenged by some viewers on Twitter who said they had raised concerns with the channel.
The row follows preliminary viewing figures showing that Burdz Eye View of Hogmanay – recorded in a recreation of a 1960s-style front room – drew an audience of 174,000, compared with 907,000 for BBC Scotland’s coverage, hosted by Jackie Bird. Last night, an Ofcom spokesman said: ‘We’ve received 37 complaints about Burdz Eye View of Hogmanay, which we will assess before deciding whether or not to investigate.
‘We assess complaints under the Broadcasting Code to see if it needs further investigation.’
Ofcom said that one section of the guidelines covers ‘due impartiality’ and, ‘depending on the facts in each case, due impartiality may need to be applied in all programming genres’. This means that even entertainment programmes such as Burdz Eye View which are not overtly political shows may need to demonstrate that they are complying with the anti-bias rules.
One Twitter user who complained to STV ahead of the broadcast after seeing the line-up of guests, posted a reply from the television company which stressed that it was ‘happy that the programme complies with the relevant code(s)’. Last night STV said it would be able to provide figures on any complaints it had received about the show from viewers today.
The programme drew a mixed response online, with one Twitter user, Craig Fulwood, denouncing it as ‘dire’ and dismissing its host as a ‘poor man’s Jimmy Krankie’.
Another viewer, Andrew Blackwell, compared the show with a ‘party political broadcast’.