Sky News received 840 Ofcom complaints and BBC Breakfast received 8,340 internal complaints about
their live broadcasts of migrants crossing the Channel by boat last week.
Sky News reporter Ali Fortescue was filmed asking the group where they were from as they struggled
to navigate their small dinghy. One migrant replied with “please no camera” as the broadcast
continued. BBC reporter Simon Jones also pulled alongside a small boat, telling viewers about their
dangerous journey as migrants attempted to bail out water from inside the vessel.
Labour MP Zarah Sultana compared the broadcast to a “grotesque reality TV show” and said on
Twitter we should instead “ensure people don’t drown crossing the Channel.”
The Deputy Leader of Northern Ireland’s Alliance Party said it was not ethical journalism and added:
“It is voyeurism and capitalizes on misery.”
Both news organizations insist their reporters alerted the coastguard to help the migrants get to
shore safely.
These figures come days after the body of a young Sudanese boy was found on a Calais beach in
France. complaints are assessed.
