[cma-l] Climate Radio programmes available!
David Duffy
david at theradiopeople.co.uk
Fri Jan 30 19:05:11 GMT 2015
Nick, as you know, I respect your enthusiasm but all broadcasters, not just community radio, are required to adhere to the Communications Act 2003 and The Representation of the People Act. These are enshrined in statute for our benefit and to ensure that broadcasters exercise due impartiality. Otherwise, we could have stations that support one political party over another using that as a means to promote a highly partisan message. I give you Fox News' ‘Fair and Balanced’. Anyone who has watched Fox News understands the irony in that positioning statement.
All I would recommend to community broadcasters is that they revisit Section 6 of the Broadcasting Code <http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/831190/section6.pdf> and in particular 6.12 where the onus is clearly on the broadcaster - 'Where a candidate is taking part in a programme on any matter, after the election has been called, s/he must not be given the opportunity to make constituency points, or electoral area points about the constituency or electoral area in which s/he is standing, when no other candidates will be given a similar opportunity.’
It has been mentioned previously that Ofcom is a reactive rather than proactive disciplinarian. If there is one time during your 5-year licence that an unhappy listener is likely to complain to Ofcom it’s during the run up to an election. People get very worked up over this kind of stuff!
David
David Duffy is a Senior Partner with - providing professional consultancy and services to commercial and community broadcasters worldwide.
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> On 30 Jan 2015, at 11:42, Canalside's The Thread <office at thethread.org.uk> wrote:
>
> Alan has virtually taken the words out of my mouth, and sadly it is yet another (yes another) one of my bug bares ! I wake up every morning desperately hoping that one day in life people will start implementing the best rule of all rules ---- it’s called = COMMON SENSE !
>
> I have to say that there are quite a number of rules that can be placed where the Sun doesn’t shine and ‘’’undue bias’’’ or ‘’’undue prominence’’’ is one of them.
>
> Seeing as Politics are mentioned, let me give you a classic example which does dovetail into Alans observations.
>
> We have about 12 major Councillors round here plus a couple of Cheshire East Councillors, we also have 6 parties regularly contesting the seat for the MP. This seat has been Tory since the First World War so quite clearly if a Chimpanzee put a blue scarf on and knocked on a few doors including a couple of jumps up and down on his hustin’’’ with Banana in hand he would probably get in ! J however, that is by the by ……. The point is there a 50% of these chaps and ladies who are very active and do come knocking on our door quite regularly (UKIP) are VERY pro-active ….. the other 50% are as rare at times as the proverbial Rocking Horse manure and you would probably have more success getting Lord Lucan into the Studios.
> The point I make is as long as the bias doesn’t come FROM YOU/US then surely there has to be some leeeeee-way ??? and plenty of it ! Quite frankly I am far far too busy a chappy than to spend my whole day chasing a member of the Lib Dems or Labour or Tory or whoever around and surely the question that needs to be asked is ‘’who is doing who the favour’’
>
> I couldn’t give a flying cactus anymore and we simply [ get on with it ] I never give the bias a thought. If we have an issue then the rule of thumb is THEY CONTACT ME and I open the airwaves for them, if they don’t contact us then tough cookie.
>
> What tends to happen is you get a couple in to stir things up … someone reports back to someone else who later in the week contacts us and makes an observation / or complaint as to why the Labour / Raving Looney Party spokesperson hasn’t been on ……… I merely say ‘’get in touch’’
>
> What we do implement though is in case of a no show we do give the person from that Party the opposite approach thus levelling things up to a certain degree.
>
> As I have said, the days or ringing up and chasing people are consigned to the bin, and if the end result of the topic is bias in favour of the Tories or Labour or UKIP or whoever ….. then I couldn’t careless ?? rules or no rules, I will argue the toss with whoever. Obviously what we could do is if you can’t get them all, just don’t do it …… is that what we are about ? doing nothing ? I think not
>
> There you go …. Another three-pennith
>
> as for the Chimpanzee, I have just run all this by him and he agrees 100%. He’s wearing three blue scarves at the moment due to the Weather J
>
> All the best
>
> Nick
>
> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk> [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk>] On Behalf Of Alan Coote
> Sent: 30 January 2015 10:53
> To: tlr at gairloch.co.uk <mailto:tlr at gairloch.co.uk>; 'The Community Media Association Discussion List'
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Climate Radio programmes available!
>
> I haven’t listen to the Climate Radio programmes yet so this is a general comment. <>
>
> There is bias of one form or another in all media – even broadcasting. Take the disproportionate airtime given to Nigel Farage – (I make not political point here). For a while last year UKIP managed to make sure he was available for comment on practically every subject going.
>
> As long as one doesn’t fall outside the Ofcom broadcast codes then, the acid test I think is to be content that there isn’t “undue bias” given to a single point of view across the programme. That goes for politics as much as it does for local campaign groups or climate change.
>
>
> Kind Regards
> Alan
>
> Hear Alan Every Week on Let’s Talk Business The UK’s Premier Radio Programme For Current and Future Entrepreneurs - Now Broadcast To 5 Million People <http://www.letstalkbusinessonline.com/>
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> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk> [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk>] On Behalf Of tlr at gairloch.co.uk <mailto:tlr at gairloch.co.uk>
> Sent: 29 January 2015 21:37
> To: The Community Media Association Discussion List
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Climate Radio programmes available!
>
> Even though it would be hard to regard climate change as controversial in itself any more, the question of what to do about it, which is what I think the programmes (sensibly) focus on, is still well within the very broad definition of public controversy. Indeed a recurrent theme in Phil England's curren tpodcasts is that "this is a political issue". Even without that, it would definitely contravene the legal ban on radio stations seeking to influence the decisions of statutory bodies (the only exception being where those decisions directly affect the radio station's interests).
>
> We ran across the breadth of the definition of 'political ends' when asked to advertise a public meeting taking place that was seeking to persuade the National Trust for Scotland to modify some local policies. We referred the question to the RAB who said it could definitely not be advertised.
>
> I am no fan of the general concept of 'balance', but presenting them as authored pieces that are debated after might be a solution. However, it would probably also reduce the number of stations able/willin gto give them airing.
>
> I think the public as a whole is relatively unaware of the fact that newspapers are free to be as politically partisan as they wish, and under no general duty to publich the truth and 'blanced opinions', when radio stations are very strictly constrained to do so.
>
> Alex
>> On 29 January 2015 at 20:42 Phil Korbel <phil at radioregen.org <mailto:phil at radioregen.org>> wrote:
>>
>> very interesting point Alex
>>
>> I dont know the programmes, but it is my understanding that climate change and the role of humankind in causing it is not deemed to be controversial with Ofcom demanding 'balance' on the issue (such is the overwhelming scientific consensus on the issue)
>>
>> That said there is ample room for such controversy in what to do about it. If Phil England's pieces, on their own, might be seen as biased and thus not Ofcom compliant, could a station remedy it by presenting them as 'authored pieces' that are debated afterwards?
>>
>> None of this is intended to dissuade you from covering this vital topic...
>>
>> bests
>>
>> Phil
>>
>> Phil Korbel FRSA - Director, Radio Regen, charity no. 1077763
>
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