Readers may be interested in the Guardian story entitled “LBC’s James O’Brien wins Ofcom battle with Institute of Economic Affairs“:
The Institute of Economic Affairs has lost a two-year battle with LBC radio presenter James O’Brien over claims the registered charity is a politically motivated lobbying organisation funded by “dark money”.
The IEA complained to media regulator Ofcom that the radio station had made a series of inaccurate and unfair suggestions that the organisation is a professional lobby group of “questionable provenance, with dubious ideas and validity” staffed by people who are not proper experts on their topic.
The free market thinktank particularly objected to O’Brien’s dismissive description of an IEA representative as “some Herbert”, as well as guest Peter Geoghegan’s suggestion that the IEA was “politically biased” during a discussion on the funding of thinktanks.
You can read the full article here.
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
4 Comments
If they have nothing to hide there is no need not to inform the public who funds them.Charities need to be open so that they can be seen to be trustworthy.
Good news. Big fan of James show although no big fan of the Lib Dems he is the voice of sanity Monday to Friday to mornings on L BC.
Mark Littlewood their Director General, Andy Mayer their Chief Operating Officer (and his Wife) all claimed to be Lib Dems ? ! ……some years ago now !! ……..
Nick Cotter is correct. Mark Littlewood was described by the Independent newspaper as ‘the Lib Dems Chief Spin Doctor’ when he resigned in March 2007.