Phone-in & text votes
Phone-in and text votes may accurately be described as "straw polls" even when the subject is serious. As a programme's audience is self-selected and is never representative of the population as a whole, we should make it clear in our reporting of the results that they only represent the views of the audience at that time. If we do this and the numbers of the audience responding is reported at the same time, we may express results of phone-in or text votes in percentages.
We should not seek publicity for the results of phone-in polls or text votes outside the output areas in which they are conducted. BBC news programmes should not normally report the results of phone-in polls and text votes.
Output areas featuring phone-in polls and text votes on the same subject taken at different times (for example at the start, and then again at the end of a programme) must not present the results in such a way as to suggest they demonstrate a shift in opinion by the people who voted.
We must never use phone-in or text votes to gather serious information on party political support.
If the vote is to be about a political or controversial public policy issue it must be referred to Chief Adviser Politics or in the case of a service in a language other than English, to the relevant World Service Head of Region or National Controller, who may also consult Chief Adviser Politics.