Thursday 13 May 2010

1,500 complaints to Ofcom about Boulton and Burley

Media regulator Ofcom has received almost 1,500 complaints about Adam Boulton's on-screen clash with Alastair Campbell and Kay Burley's interview with electoral reformist David Babbs. As of this morning Ofcom has received a total of 1,418 complaints from members about the two incidents involving Sky News presenters. Burley's interview with Babbs, of electoral reform campaigning group 38 Degrees, attracted 722 complaints. The complainants accused Burley of bias and aggressive behaviour in the interview. The interview resulted in the presenter being heckled by protesters saying 'sack Kay Burley' and a Twitter campaign.

Ofcom has also received 696 complaints about Sky News political editor Adam Boulton's on-screen row with former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell. Most of the complainants are understood to have objected to what they viewed as unprofessional behaviour by Boulton, who appeared to lose his temper after Campbell accused him of being 'upset that David Cameron is not prime minister'.



Ofcom is still assessing 700 complaints that Boulton allegedly 'heckled' Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg about his expenses in the second leaders' debate."