Ben Golightly, TUSC candidate in Gwyr Abertawe
BBC Wales Today Evening News reported on a hustings in Langland, organised by Surfers Against Sewage. Surfers Against Sewage criticise decades of failed regulation and underinvestment.
The campaign had reports of 212 people in Wales becoming ill from pollution in local seas, rivers, and lakes in 2025. Sewage was released into Welsh waters for a million hours last year.
The BBC report outlined each party’s stance on the issue, presenting a quote and each party’s logo.
But it did not include a quote from myself, or from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), despite our attendance at the hustings, or the fact I represented TUSC at the hustings. We were not approached by the BBC for comment.
In fact, we were the only party present not to be fairly covered. The BBC programme even included a quote from the Conservative Party, despite the Tories declining their invitation to attend.
The BBC coverage was selective, not politically impartial, and therefore “reasonably regarded as intended to promote any parties or candidates over any others”. This is against the BBC’s own guidelines.
