Complaint
This edition of The World at One featured an interview with an Israeli nationalist settler. A listener objected to his inclusion and argued he was not sufficiently challenged about Israel’s actions. The ECU considered whether the broadcast met the standards for due impartiality set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The Guidelines do not prohibit interviews with anyone, regardless of the actions they may have been associated with or the potential offensiveness of their views. The BBC believes there is potential value in hearing from people at the heart of controversies, because doing so may aid audience understanding of the dynamics they are a part of. Such an approach allows for the exploration of attitudes which may be contentious or otherwise at odds with the “fundamental democratic principles” described in the Guidelines on Impartiality. In this case, there was an opportunity to hear the thinking of someone from an influential section of Israeli society, whose settlement activity directly impacts the prospects for peace, and whose views are represented at cabinet level in Israel. The ECU considered the interviewee was properly challenged on a range of issues and that audiences would have understood they were hearing the partisan views of a right-wing nationalist settler associated with someone convicted of racism and terrorism offences, and would judge his contribution accordingly
Not Upheld