Last year a Conservative MEP organised a screening in the European Parliament of the discredited Channel 4 documentary “The Great Global Warming Swindle”.
The documentary caused a huge controversy when it was broadcast on TV and it caused a similar stir when it was shown in Parliament.
Following Channel 4′s broadcast of the programme last year, there were some 265 complaints to Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator. Ofcom have just ruled that the documentary did break broadcast rules and was “unjust and unfair” in the way it represented individuals’ views in the documentary. The ruling went on to say that “the programme made some significant allegations without offering an appropriate and timely opportunity to respond”
Whilst some of the complains were upheld, Bob Ward, the former head of media at the Royal Society said that “The programme has been let off the hook on a highly questionable technicality”.
He was complaining because Ofcom defines a misleading programme as one where the audience is “materially misled so as to cause harm or offence” and the ruling said the programme didn’t meet that test.
However, Channel 4 has been ordered to broadcast a summary of Ofcom’s findings about the programme. I don’t expect the Tory MEP to acknowledge the programmes’ errors though.
It’s a shame that some Tory MEPs are still questioning the existance or cause of climate change.
On balance I think I’ll take my scientific advice from Britain’s Royal Society rather than a bunch discredited Tory MEPs!
You can read more about Ofcom’s ruling at the following links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/21/climatechange.carbonemissions
