Complaint
A viewer questioned the statement of a ѿý reporter that the Iranian political system and leadership were "extremely unpopular”, arguing that this was both untrue and indicative of bias. The ECU considered whether the remarks met the ѿý’s standards for accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
The ѿý’s Editorial Guidelines say reporters may provide professional judgements, rooted in evidence and professional experience. In this case, the complainant cited two opinion polls in support of his argument. In the first, conducted in 2021, the then President, Hassan Rouhani was regarded “very unfavourably” by 58.9% of those polled. The second, by Gallup, indicated that 52% disapproved of the job performance of the leadership of the country. Journalists in the ѿý’s Persian Service make use of a variety of sources to gauge the mood of the country and, whilst the reporter’s assessment on this occasion was clearly not definitive, the ECU considered such evidence would tend, if anything, to support it.
Not Upheld