Act to Keep BBC Parliament Streams Politically Neutral

Rejected 11 signatures

What the petition asks

On 20th Oct, during an adjournment "debate" on 'Trends in excess death', the BBC's live Parliamentary stream included banners contradicting the speech. This undermines the stream's purpose: to offer an unbiased record of House of Commons proceedings. Immediate corrective measures are needed.

The BBC's live stream is meant to faithfully broadcast House of Commons proceedings, not to serve as a platform for editorialising or debate. The inclusion of contradictory banners is highly inappropriate and erodes public trust. Given the situation, we recommend the House take action by writing to the BBC for rectification and consulting OfCOM for regulatory insight. This action is crucial for restoring democratic values and re-establishing public trust.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

We can only accept petitions about things the Government or Parliament are directly responsible for.

Setting and enforcing standards for broadcasters is a matter for Ofcom, not the UK Government or Parliament, and the Broadcasting Code already contains requirements for the news to be reported with due accuracy. You can find out more about these rules here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/section-five-due-impartiality-accuracy

If you would like to make a complaint about a news broadcast you can find out how to do so here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/complaints/complain-about-tv-radio-a-website

Timeline

20 Oct 2023	Petition opened for signatures
27 Oct 2023	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 11

Status Rejected

Rejected 27 Oct 2023

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