麻豆社

The 麻豆社 Trust has today published details of 15 programmes broadcast on 麻豆社 World News (麻豆社 WN) which have breached the 麻豆社’s Editorial and/or Sponsorship Guidelines.

麻豆社 WN is an international commercial television news channel available across Europe and many parts of the world.

The Trust’s Editorial Standards Committee (ESC), found that the programmes, which were acquired by the 麻豆社 for low or nominal cost from independent producers, breached one or more of the 麻豆社’s guidelines on:

1. conflicts of interest;
2. the prohibition of promotion of a sponsor’s activities;
3. the prohibition of sponsorship for current affairs programming; and/or
4. the need to credit a sponsor to ensure transparency for viewers.

The Committee found that none of the programmes breached the guidelines on due impartiality.

The 麻豆社 has now made a series of changes to the way it acquires and funds programming for the channel. 麻豆社 WN will not acquire programmes for a low or nominal cost and it will no longer accept sponsorship from non-commercial organisations.

In addition, it will review its supplier list, introducing tougher rules on transparency for those who make its programmes and strengthening its due diligence and approval processes.

Richard Ayre, who chaired the meeting of the Trust’s ESC said:

"International audiences must be able to rely on the same integrity and independence in the 麻豆社's editorial decisions as audiences in the UK.

"We have found that several programmes shown on the 麻豆社's World News channel had been inappropriately sponsored, and in the case of one of the independent producers, FBC Media (UK) Ltd, there was at least a suggestion that the company had a conflict of interest of which the 麻豆社 had been unaware.

"The Trust is deeply concerned at this and we very much regret that these programmes failed to live up to the editorial standards we set for the 麻豆社. The Director General has already implemented a series of measures to prevent it happening again; we expect him to carry out a follow-up audit next year and report back to the Trust."

Previously, in a meeting in May 2011, the Trust’s ESC found a breach of the 麻豆社’s guidelines prohibiting the sponsorship of current affairs and on conflict of interest in a programme called Taking the Credit which was broadcast on 麻豆社 WN in October 2009.

Following this, the ESC asked the 麻豆社 to carry out an audit of the funding arrangements for 麻豆社 WN documentary or feature programmes broadcast, commissioned or in production from 28 February to 7 August 2011, that (like Taking the Credit) were acquired for low or nominal cost.

Since that audit was commissioned, the Executive has separately been carrying out an investigation into programming made for 麻豆社 WN by the production company FBC Media (UK) Ltd. This follows allegations put to the 麻豆社 by a national newspaper that the company had been paid to conduct a "Global Strategic Communications Campaign" for the Malaysian Government and also made programmes for the 麻豆社 featuring Malaysia and Malaysian issues.

The reports on the World News audit and the investigation into FBC Media (UK) Ltd were presented to the Trust in September. Following further inquiries by the Trust, the ESC met on 2 November to consider these programmes.

In summary, the ESC found the following programmes in breach at that meeting:

FBC Media (UK) Ltd produced programmes

1 Develop or Die: Series 1 Episode 2 (broadcast 14 February 2009)
2 Develop or Die: Series 2 Episode 1 (broadcast on 15 May 2010)
3 Develop or Die: Series 2 Episode 2 (broadcast on 22 May 2010)
4 Develop or Die: Series 3 Episode 5 (broadcast on 6 June 2011)
5 One Square Mile: Sarawak (broadcast on 12 February 2011)
6 One Square Mile: Kuala Lumpur (broadcast on 9 July 2011)
7 Third Eye: Egypt (broadcast on 12 March 2011)
8 Third Eye: Asian Food (broadcast on 2 July 2011)

The ESC considered that it had no evidence that the apparent relationship between FBC Media (UK) Ltd and the Malaysian Government amounted to programme sponsorship. However, it found breaches of the guidelines on ‘conflicts of interests’ because the production company was making programmes broadcast on the 麻豆社 about Malaysia, the Malaysian Government or Malaysian industry and had an apparent financial relationship with the Malaysian Government. The ESC felt these breaches were particularly serious.

While the ESC concluded that no one programme breached the guidelines for due impartiality, it nevertheless had considerable concerns that there was a heavy focus on Malaysian issues and an appearance of favourability to Malaysian Government policies or its industry (albeit within the boundaries of the Guidelines).

麻豆社 World News Audit

1 Nature Inc.: Conservation From Chaos (produced by One Planet Pictures and broadcast on 9 April 2011)
Breach of the guidelines on conflicts of interest and the requirement that a sponsor’s services should not be promoted. Breach of the guidelines requiring a credit to be broadcast where a sponsorship arrangement exists.

2 Nature Inc.: Hard Rain 1 (produced by One Planet Pictures and broadcast on 16 April 2011)
Breach of the guidelines prohibiting sponsorship for current affairs programming.

3 Nature Inc.: Hard Rain 2 (produced by One Planet Pictures and broadcast on 23 April 2011)
Breach of the guidelines on conflicts of interest and the requirement that a sponsor’s services should not be promoted. Breach of the guidelines requiring sponsor credits to be clear.

4 Earth Reporters: Beating the Plague (produced by TVE and broadcast on 21 May 2011)
Breach of the guidelines on conflicts of interest and the requirement that a sponsor’s services should not be promoted. Breach of the guidelines requiring sponsor credits to be clear.

5 Nature Inc. 21 Gigatonne Bomb (produced by One Planet Pictures and broadcast on 4 June 2011)
Breach of the guidelines prohibiting sponsorship for current affairs programming.

6 Earth Reporters: Sea Change (produced by TVE and broadcast on 5 March 2011)
Breach of the guidelines requiring sponsor credits to be clear.

All of the programmes considered as part of the audit received funding from external sources.

Where the subject matter was identified as current affairs, no external funding should have been accepted, as such content may not be sponsored under the guidelines.

Where funding was permitted, the ESC decided that, in some cases, the funding was inappropriate as the sponsor and/or their services were featured and promoted in the programmes. This is not permitted under the guidelines. The ESC also found that the connection between certain sponsors and the content of the relevant programmes was sufficient to raise the suggestion of a conflict of interest, in breach of the ‘conflict of interests’ guidelines.

In addition, all of the programmes either failed to carry sponsor credits or, where there were sponsor credits, they were not sufficiently prominent and clearly identified, meaning that the audience might not be aware that a financial relationship existed between the sponsor and the programme maker. Where sponsorship was appropriate in principle - i.e. in those programmes which were not current affairs - it was a breach not to have a sufficiently prominent credit.

It was the ESC’s view that there were a number of causes for these breaches, but that the responsibility for ensuring that these guidelines are followed lies ultimately with the 麻豆社 Executive.

Taking the Credit

At a separate meeting in May 2011, the ESC found that Taking the Credit (produced by Rockhopper TV and broadcast on 23 October 2009) breached the guidelines prohibiting sponsorship for current affairs programming.

Notes to editors

Full details of the Executive’s action plan, endorsed by the Trust’s Editorial Standards Committee (ESC) can be found at .

麻豆社 World News channel

麻豆社 World News is part of the 麻豆社’s Global News division. It is a commercial service operated through 麻豆社 World News Limited and is available in all parts of Europe and many parts of the world via satellite and cable. As a commercial service and an Ofcom licensee, it is permitted to take advertising and commercial sponsorship and it does not currently receive funds from the licence fee.

麻豆社 Guidelines

Extracts of the relevant guidelines can be found at Annex 1 of the finding.