Bangla TV breaks impartiality and product placement rules

Bangla TV has run in to hot bother for breaking impartiality and product placement rules.

The Bengali entertainment channel aired an interview on 26th October 2013 with Lutfur Rahman1, the Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets and also featured statements from a reporter, and included filmed ��vox pop�۪ statements from three members of the public.

Media regulator Ofcom deemed the report not to be impartial under Rule 5.1 “News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality”.

Also during the investigation Ofcom noted during the same programme that hat a laptop was visible whenever the newsreader spoke to camera. The laptop, which was positioned so that the manufacturer�۪s logo was clearly identifiable, was shown for an extended period during the studio-based material in each bulletin.

This broke Rule 9.5 of the broadcasting code: ���No undue prominence may be given in programming to a product, service or trade mark. Undue prominence may result from”.

Ofcom has therefore found Bangla TV in breach of Rules 5.1 and 9.5.