Leaks to Channel 4 – and their Guardian ’spoiler’
July 25, 2008
Dear Andrew,
On a separate matter it seems that the ruling was ‘leaked’ to the media at the weekend – in a way which laid the ground for the ‘spin’ that Channel 4 seem to be putting on the story today.
I understood that the ruling was under strict embargo, and that any breach of this would be considered very seriously indeed?
I would like you to look at the Guardian article this weekend, which not only seemed to have some advance insight into your ruling, but also the position that Channel 4 was planning to take on the matter:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/19/channel4.climatechange
“In a long-awaited judgment following a 15-month inquiry, Ofcom is expected to censure the network over its treatment of some scientists in the programme, The Great Global Warming Swindle, which sparked outcry from environmentalists.
Complaints about privacy and fairness from the government’s former chief scientist, Sir David King, and the Nobel peace prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will be upheld on almost all counts, the Guardian has learned.
But it is understood that Channel 4 will still claim victory because the ultimate verdict on a separate complaint about accuracy, which contained 131 specific points and ran to 270 pages, will find that it did not breach the regulator’s broadcasting code and did not materially mislead viewers.
The detail of the ruling is expected to criticise Channel 4 over some aspects of the controversial programme, made by the director Martin Durkin, but executives will argue that the key test of whether it was right to broadcast the programme has been passed.” (my emphasis)
To me that indicates that the leak came from someone with intimate knowledge of the intentions of Channel 4 executives – and that this leak is therefore a ‘spoiler’ intended to frame any debate to Channel 4’s advantage.
If so this would seem to be an abuse of your procedures, and Channel 4’s responsibilities to you.
Could you tell me whether you will be investigating this ‘leak’, and what action you would take if it was found to originate in Channel 4?
As for my individual complaint – I will await your letter to me before giving you a formal response…
Yours sincerely
Dean Morrison
