Complaint
The programme used research conducted by Male Allies UK as the starting point for a discussion about boys and their attitudes towards a range of issues. In the introduction, the presenter summarised one aspect of the research by saying “Now here is a finding: a third of boys think women’s rights are unimportant”. A listener objected to the use of the word “unimportant” because it did not accurately reflect the data obtained by the research. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The research included the results of a survey of over 1,000 secondary school boys which had asked “Are women’s rights important in the world today?”, giving three options: very important, important and not very important. The presenter’s comments reflected the fact that nearly 32% of respondents had chosen the third option. While acknowledging that there is a meaningful distinction between “not very important” and “unimportant”, the ECU did not consider it such as to mislead listeners in relation to the matters under discussion, in a context where the Chief Executive of Male Allies Uk was given ample opportunity to set out what he considered to be key aspects of the research.
Not upheld
