Complaint
This three-part series explored the phenomenon of football “Ultras” in Scotland – “young fans…organising with precision, designing vast banner displays, coordinating marches, and igniting pyrotechnics that turn stadiums into theatre”. The author of a study which he described as the only peer-reviewed paper on the topic to have been published in Scotland complained that his work had been entirely overlooked by the programme-makers, leading him to doubt their commitment to representing the phenomenon accurately. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
Editorial and creative freedom is a fundamental principle set out in the BBC’s Royal Charter and recognised by the BBC’s independent regulator, Ofcom. Among other things, this means programme-makers have complete discretion over their choice of subject matter and how it is to be treated, so long as what is broadcast meets the BBC’s editorial standards. In this instance, the programme-makers chose to explore their topic primarily through the experiences of people actively involved, drawing on their first-hand involvement and using their insights. This was a legitimate editorial approach for a documentary of this kind, and not in conflict with the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Not upheld
