Complaint
In an interview broadcast to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Europe Editor for the BBC World Service referred to a Turkish Cypriot he’d spoken to, who had expressed a wish for peace through unification. A viewer complained this misrepresented the views of most Turkish Cypriots and was therefore biased against them. The ECU assessed the complaint against the standards for impartiality set out in the Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The remark was made in the context of a longer interview which looked at the history of attempts to resolve divisions on the island. The ECU noted that the Europe Editor did not suggest all Turkish Cypriots wanted reunification, or even a majority, but that the example was used as a means of illustrating his assessment that “lots of people” wanted peace and reunification, a suggestion supported by polling evidence. He was therefore using his professional judgement, as allowed for in the Guidelines, to assess the overall mood of those living on the island of Cyprus.
Not Upheld