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24/01/2012
ITV Documentary Was 'Misleading', Says Ofcom
Ofcom has ruled that an ITV documentary mislead viewers in a significant breach of audience trust after it falsely labelled computer game footage.
This follows the discovery last year that footage used during a programme about Gaddafi and the IRA was actually from a video game and not filmed by the IRA as the broadcaster originally claimed.
A total of 26 people alerted the regulator, raising concerns over the footage broadcast in Exposure: Gaddafi and the IRA, in September.
After the issue came to light ITV apologised and put the accidental inclusion of video game footage down to human error.
However the regulatory body has now said it was "not sufficient for a broadcaster or programme maker to rely on footage provided by a third party source, on the basis that that source had previously supplied other broadcasters with archive footage.
"We take into account that ITV: apologised; removed the programme from its catch-up video-on-demand service; and has now put in place various changes to its compliance procedures to ensure such incidents do not happen in future.
"However, the viewers of this serious current affairs programme were misled as to the nature of the material they were watching."
During the documentary, footage labelled "IRA Film 1988" was shown, described as film shot by the IRA of its members attempting to shoot down a British Army helicopter in June 1988.
However, the pictures were actually taken from a game called ArmA 2.
(LB)
This follows the discovery last year that footage used during a programme about Gaddafi and the IRA was actually from a video game and not filmed by the IRA as the broadcaster originally claimed.
A total of 26 people alerted the regulator, raising concerns over the footage broadcast in Exposure: Gaddafi and the IRA, in September.
After the issue came to light ITV apologised and put the accidental inclusion of video game footage down to human error.
However the regulatory body has now said it was "not sufficient for a broadcaster or programme maker to rely on footage provided by a third party source, on the basis that that source had previously supplied other broadcasters with archive footage.
"We take into account that ITV: apologised; removed the programme from its catch-up video-on-demand service; and has now put in place various changes to its compliance procedures to ensure such incidents do not happen in future.
"However, the viewers of this serious current affairs programme were misled as to the nature of the material they were watching."
During the documentary, footage labelled "IRA Film 1988" was shown, described as film shot by the IRA of its members attempting to shoot down a British Army helicopter in June 1988.
However, the pictures were actually taken from a game called ArmA 2.
(LB)
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