ITV’s chief executive, Dame Carolyn McCall, has defended the controversial interview conducted by Ed Balls with his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, on Good Morning Britain. Despite receiving over 16,000 complaints, media regulator Ofcom has decided not to investigate the episode further.
The interview took place on 5 August, during a time of national emergency due to violent unrest in parts of the UK. Dame Carolyn explained that they had very short notice that the home secretary would be appearing on the show, but believed the interview was fair and impartial.
Ofcom agreed with this assessment, stating that the relationship between Balls and Cooper was made clear, a range of views were included in the program, and most of the interview was conducted by co-presenter Kate Garraway. They will not be pursuing the complaints any further.
However, Ofcom did issue guidance to ITV to take particular care in future interviews to ensure due impartiality. Some complaints also related to an interview with Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana, where she challenged Balls on his views on immigration.
Despite the controversy, Sultana took to Twitter to express her determination to speak out against racism and Islamophobia. The episode has sparked a debate on journalistic integrity and the role of media in political interviews.
Overall, while ITV has defended the interview, they have stated that they would not conduct a similar interview in the future. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining impartiality and professionalism in journalism.
