IN AUGUST, the BBC published a news item about a Canadian worker killed by two polar bears.
The article claimed: ‘There are about 17,000 polar bears living in the country – making up around two-thirds of the global population of the species, according to the Canadian government. The species is in decline, and scientists attribute it to the loss of sea ice caused by global warming – leading to shrinking of their hunting and breeding grounds.’
A reader challenged a statement in this article which claimed that the global population of polar bears was in decline. The ECU [Executive Complaints Unit] considered whether it met the standards of due accuracy set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines.