Complaint
The presenter accompanied a Greenpeace crew in pursuit of Japanese whalers. A viewer complained that his comments on Sea Shepherd, another environmentalist group operating in the area, had given a false impression that Sea Shepherd endorsed violence.
Outcome
The presenter referred to Sea Shepherd as throwing "bottles of acid" at Japanese whaling vessels, without making clear that the substance in question (butyric acid, produced when butter turns rancid) was harmless to humans and intended only to cause a repellent smell. This allowed the inference that, in contrast to Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd was prepared to engage in violence against people, whereas its policy is to confine itself to damage to property. Upheld
Further action
Programme teams have been reminded of the need to be precise on technical or scientific specifics so as to avoid the potential for misleading impressions.
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