BBC and Society of Editors to be questioned on coverage of political polls
The House of Lords Political Polling and Digital Media Committee will tomorrow take evidence from the Director and Chief Advisor for the BBC's Editorial Policy and Standards. The Committee will also hear evidence from the Executive Director for the Society of Editors.
The evidence session will start at 10:45am on Tuesday 14 November in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords.
Giving evidence to the Committee will be:
- David Jordan, Director of Editorial Policy and Standards, BBC
- Ric Bailey, Chief Adviser on Editorial Standards and Policy, BBC
Questions the witness will be asked include:
- Did the BBC make any substantive changes to its editorial policy on reporting political opinion polls for the coverage of the 2017 General Election, following the performance of the polls in the 2015 General Election and EU Referendum campaigns?
- How has the advent of social media affected the news cycle and the way the BBC reports on political news (including political opinion polls)?
- How does the BBC commission and use non-voting intention opinion polling? What is the decision making process for the BBC when it decides to commission a poll, and what factors are taken into consideration?
- What role does the BBC's Reality Check service have?
At 11.45am, giving evidence to the Committee will be:
- Ian Murray, Executive Director, Society of Editors
Questions the witness will be asked include:
- Are there significant problems with the way polls are reported in the media?
- Are current regulatory arrangements are sufficient to prevent the misreporting of opinion polls?
- Are there differences in the ways in which political opinion polling is reported on by the regional press, in comparison to the national newspapers?
- Could opinion polls conducted on behalf of advocacy groups be more susceptible to manipulation to produce results which fit a specific agenda, which are then reported on in the media?
