Accusation of 'racism towards Russian people' among latest complaints rejected by BAI

Opinions on gun ownership and the war in Ukraine are among the latest complaints rejected by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). 

The BAI today (October 5) published its decisions covering the period from May to August 2022, with the Executive Complaints Forum rejecting seven complaints and the Compliance Committee rejecting one. 

Several complaints during that time were made in relation to the ongoing war in Ukraine, with one viewer of Prime Time submitting a complaint due to what they believed was biased reporting. 

The complainant maintained the presenter of the show (which aired on March 6 2022) made little effort to allow the audience to understand how the conflict could easily have been avoided, why it finally began or how it might easily end. 

They also claimed the presenter "positively nudged one of the 'biased' guests towards implying NATO should become involved in the conflict". 

The broadcaster responded by stating the complainant was "vague and very general" in his submission, and that the studio guests included a columnist from the Moscow Times and a Professor of Politics in DCU. It also maintains that the presenter made no mention of NATO. 

According to the Forum, several questions were put to the interviewees, including how the war is viewed in Russia and requests for a no-fly zone. It was noted that the only reference to NATO was in the academic’s response to this question. 

The Forum found there was no evidence of the presenter attempting to “nudge” guests into stating that NATO should become involved in the conflict. 

It was concluded the broadcast did not infringe the relevant provisions of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 or the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs. Accordingly, the Forum rejected the complaint. 

Another complaint regarding the war was made about an episode of The Brendan O’Connor Show which aired on March 13 2022. 

The complainant, who believed there was bias and misinformation in the broadcast, challenged statements made during a discussion of the war among panelists on the programme, and questioned the methodology in the selection and composition of the panel. 

According to the broadcaster, the episode featured a wide range of views on the subject and was fully compliant with all the statutory and regulatory provisions. 

The Forum was of the view that the discussion in general was managed appropriately by the presenter who put forward suggestions and counter arguments to elicit responses from the panel, and that the audience was not misled on the subject under discussion. 

It decided the programme, when taken in whole and in context, did not infringe the relevant provisions of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 or the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs. 

The complaint was subsequently rejected. 

A third complaint regarding the war in Ukraine was submitted in relation to a broadcast of the Pat Kenny Show on March 16 2022. 

The complainant claimed the presenter referred "with contempt several times" to 'The Russians', 'Russians', and 'The Russian War', and believed the broadcast was not impartial.

The complainant also believed that the presenter's line of questioning was "indicative of racism towards Russian people possibly feeling uncomfortable if they knew what was going on in Ukraine", and that the broadcast did not feature the views or perspective of Russians. 

In response, the broadcaster believed the episode - which featured an American journalist providing an update on the war in Ukraine from Odessa - was fair, balanced and objective, and that the contributor was selected because of his location, "which would be the norm when seeking an update from the scene of a major international event". 

The broadcaster stated the presenter’s questions were neutral and fair and that the questioning and language used in the broadcast were appropriate and impartial, and that there was no contempt displayed. 

A second guest interviewed was noted to have "expertise and personal knowledge of Russia and was an appropriate person to discuss the approach by the Russian government and army". 

The broadcaster also rejected any claim of racism and stated all coverage of the war has been fair, and all language used to describe Russia and its population has been appropriate and accurate. 

In considering the complainant’s view that the presenter referred with contempt several times to 'The Russians', 'Russians' and 'The Russian War', the Forum found that the use of these words are the "normal collective terms used when referring to the war in Ukraine". 

The Forum also noted that contributors to the programme also referred to 'The Russians' in the normal course of reporting. 

They stated there was "no evidence" of any contempt in the presenter’s voice and the broadcast content did not support the
complainant’s view that the broadcast could be described as racist. 

The Forum decided the programme did not infringe the relevant provisions of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 or the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs, and the complaint was rejected. 

A complaint regarding a discussion on gun control on the Hard Shoulder programme was also considered by the BAI. 

According to the complainant, the presenter of the episode (broadcast in May 2022) declared he "was not going to be impartial and was going to abandon all pretense of impartiality" during an interview with a representative from Republicans Overseas UK. 

The complainant also believed the presenter was "discourteous and unfair" to the interviewee, and expressed his own "partisan views" on the subject.

He also claimed the presenter further stated "this was not the week for pretending to be unbiased in an interview". 

The broadcaster does not believe the broadcast breached the BAI Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs, and they are of the view the presenter treated the interviewee "in a fair, impartial and objective manner". 

However, the broadcast accepted the presenter stated that it was time to abandon all pretenses of impartiality and that it “was not the week for pretending to be unbiased in an interview like that”.

The broadcaster contended that the statements were not made in the literal sense suggested by the complainant, but in light of the deaths of innocent children, which neither the presenter nor the interviewee were impartial on. 

The Forum noted the complainant’s view that the presenter’s statement that he will "…abandon all pretense of impartiality" led the broadcast to lack fairness, objectivity and impartiality in its treatment of the topic. They also noted that this interview arose because of the human reaction to the recent mass shooting in Texas and were cognisent of emotions running high after such an incident. 

According to the Forum, the presenter dismissing impartiality addressed his emotional side of the debate i.e. he could not be
impartial regarding the deaths of children. 

The Forum noted the interviewees’ views that gun control does not prevent such mass shootings and was afforded ample
time to express her views during this robust interview. 

However, they also noted that the broadcaster should in future consider the wording used when approaching the coverage of current affairs items more carefully as the use of the wording “…abandon all pretense of impartiality” during the programme may have led listeners to believe the broadcast was not fair, objective or impartial.

Having listened to the footage, the Forum believeed the interview was fair and impartial, and concluded the broadcast did not infringe the relevant provisions of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 or the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs. 

Other complaints considered and rejected by the BAI involved topics including legal handgun ownership in Ireland, a discussion on the Official Languages Act, and a report on proposed amnesty in relation to unsolved killings during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. 

The full report is available to view here.