Ofcom says it considers matter resolved following complaint about BBC broadcasting of a picture of a passenger’s passport photo page

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

BBC News and RT, the Kremlin-backed news channel, have both been cleared by Ofcom after complaints their respective coverage of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over the conflict-hit region of eastern Ukraine in July last year, claiming the lives of 283 passengers, including 80 children, and 15 crew members.

One viewer complained to the media regulator after the BBC News channel broadcast a picture of a passenger’s passport photo page as part of a sequence of still images showing debris from the crashed plane on 17 July, during live coverage on the day MH17 was shot down. The image was on screen for five seconds.

Ofcom ruled that although that the image was capable of causing offence – which on balance was not justified by the context – as the BBC had apologised and acknowledged that the picture was unsuitable for broadcast, it considered the matter resolved.



The complaint against RT, which was investigated and found by the watchdog to not breach broadcasting rules, centred on the use of graphic imagery of bodies at the crash site, also on 17 July.



An Ofcom spokesman said: “Having reviewed the evidence, Ofcom found the BBC took steps to limit any offence caused; including apologising and ensuring the image was not shown again in later reports. As a result we consider the matter resolved.”



The regulator found RT had taken “sufficient steps to limit the potential for offence”, according to the Ofcom spokesman. “This included pixelating graphic imagery and only broadcasting it after the watershed,” Ofcom said.

London-based correspondent Sara Firth, who worked at RT for five years, resigned in protest over her employer’s coverage of the immediate aftermath of the flight’s shooting down.

The offending BBC News channel image was aired at 5.40pm during a studio discussion concerning the number of casualties sustained by Ukrainian forces during the on-going conflict with separatist groups.

During the discussion, the broadcaster started to show a sequence of still images labelled as: “Breaking News: Ukraine Plane Crash. Eyewitnesses report seeing bodies next to plane.”

Ofcom’s concerns focused on a still image in relative close-up of the photograph page of a victim’s passport.

The BBC noted in its submission to Ofcom that just before the broadcast it had learned that footage – including the passport grab – of the crash site, sourced “off-air from a Russian TV station”, was available.

Because the material had already been edited and provided by a “trusted agency provider”, the BBC decided to “take the material straight to air”.

The BBC said the images in the sequence were: not graphic; had “clearly been prepared for broadcast”; and, included “one five-second shot of a passport in which the photograph of the person it belonged to was visible”.

It added that the presenter had “made it clear that the material was being shown for the first time”.

The BBC went on to tell Ofcom that it “immediately recognised that this image carried the potential for distress” following transmission and told its staff to ensure the image was not shown again.

In deciding the matter was resolved, Ofcom said although the BBC had strictly speaking breached rule 2.3 of the broadcasting code in airing potentially offensive material that was not justified by the context, it had taken into account that broadcasters and audiences have a right to freedom of expression. Ofcom also said the MH17 report was “clearly a matter of significant public interest” .

Because the BBC apologised and took immediate steps to alert staff to the content to ensure it was not broadcast again, Ofcom said it considered this matter resolved.

Sky News was criticised by Ofcom in October for causing “considerable offence” for broadcasting images of one of its presenters handling a passenger’s belongings at the crash site.

Ofcom received more than 200 complaints after Sky News presenter Colin Brazier was shown picking through an open suitcase in a live broadcast in July.

As in the BBC News channel case, the regulator concluded that Sky News had strictly speaking breached rule 2.3 of the broadcasting code, but took into account factors including the apology by the broadcaster and Brazier and ruled that the matter was resolved.

• To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email media@theguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”.

• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook.