Complaint
The programme included a brief exchange between a reporter and Gon?lo
Amaral (a former policeman who had worked on the disappearance of
Madeleine McCann and had since written a book on the case). One word in
the exchange was bleeped, and the report gave the impression that this
was because Sr Amaral had used offensive language about the MrCanns. A
viewer complained that this was inaccurate and unfair to Sr Amaral.
Outcome
The reporter's belief, reinforced by others on the programme team who
viewed the recording, was that Sr Amaral had indeed used an English
phrase which included an offensive term applied to the McCanns. On
further examination, however, it became clear that Sr Amaral had been
speaking Portuguese, and that an inoffensive phrase had been
misconstrued.
Upheld
Further action
The Editor of the programme has discussed the outcome with the producer
and reporter involved. In future, the team plans to use interpreters if
clips from interviews are unclear. |