These reports are case summaries of complaints which appeared to raise issues of substance in relation to the interpretation of the ITC Programme Code. Summary statistics of non-substantive complaints can be found in the full reports which are obtainable from the ITC.
Showing Complaints & Interventions Report for NEWS ON NINE
Channel: TVC9 (Derry)
Date & time: Friday 14 September: 6.00pm
Complaint from: 1 viewer (upheld)
Background
TVC9’s news programme reported on a drop in circulation for a local newspaper, and also reported speculation that the new management’s reporting style was not being well received.
Issue
The newspaper complained that a drop in a newspaper’s circulation would not normally merit inclusion in a TV news bulletin. No other local media had reported the story and its inclusion by TVC9 was, it was alleged, activated by malice.
Assessment
TVC9 argued that attacks on each other by local newspapers had been headline stories locally, and it would not have been relevant to refer, as the complainant had suggested it should, to other newspapers’ circulation figures, since no other new figures had been released. This was, in TVC9’s view, a significant developing news story. The item had been moved up the running order due to technical difficulties with another story.
A piece of local business news such as this might, in the ITC’s view, have formed part of a wider business news bulletin. However, its inclusion here, even towards the end of the bulletin, looked odd, on a day of very significant events locally, including the Day of Mourning for the September 11 atrocities and visits by Northern Ireland ministers.
Conclusion
The inclusion of the item and its tone were in breach of Code section 3.4, which refers to the need for reporting to be dispassionate and news judgements based on the need to give an even-handed account of events.
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