Private Eye reports Back on Track exposé

1. The current issue of Private Eye (1552) reports my Back on Track exposé (see 4 May 2021 post).
2. Private Eye is the UK’s number one best-selling news and current affairs magazine.
3. You won’t find the report – or much else from the magazine – on the Eye website because the online presence is minimal. Here’s a scanned copy of the page from my subscription copy – see article headed “Dope for heroes”: https://dralexmay.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/private-eye-1552.pdf.

FIFTH complaint to ASA about Health Broadcast ad

1. I recently had to make a FIFTH complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (“ASA”) about a ridiculous ad by Health Broadcast, a fake limited company flogging dubious “health products”.
2. Worse, the ASA issued an “ad alert” against Health Broadcast after my FOURTH complaint about the ad (see 11 May 2021 post).
3. Well, on 22 June 2021, the Daily Mail newspaper ran the ad again (screen shot in Figure 1).

Figure 1. Ad for Health Broadcast Ltd in the Daily Mail (22 June 2021, p.54)

4. In response to my latest complaint, the advertising regulator said in an email: “As you are aware, in May 2021, our Compliance team issued an Ad Alert about this advertiser over their continued non-compliance. I have been in touch with my colleague in the Compliance department, and they are going to contact the publisher of the newspaper directly about this.”
5. Meanwhile, the ASA “ad alert” dated 6 May 2021 asks the “the national/regional press to contact the CAP Copy Advice team before accepting any ads from Health Broadcast.”
6. Did the Daily Mail contact the CAP Copy Advice team before running the ad on 22 June 2021? Despite repeated requests, the ASA declined to say.

MansionBet and talkSPORT breach the advertising rules

1. MansionBet, a gambling firm, and talkSPORT, a sports radio station, recently breached the advertising rules – by failing to make clear an ad for the former was an ad.
2. On 17 June 2021, talkSPORT tweeted a video featuring Jason Cundy and Andy Goldstein, who together present a longstanding programme on the radio station (screen shot in Figure 1). The video itself bears the talkSPORT logo. Therefore, both the tweet and video could easily be confused as editorial.

Figure 1. talkSPORT tweet dated 17 June 2021

3. talkSPORT failed to label the tweet as an ad: it didn’t use the label “#ad”, for example.
4. talkSPORT simply mentioned MansionBet, tagging the brand within the tweet. Therefore, the tweet wasn’t obviously identifiable as an ad.
5. The video shows the MansionBet logo, as well as that of talkSPORT. The gambling company sponsors Darren Farley, the football impressionist, who appears in the video with the talkSPORT presenters.
6. In response to my complaint, advertising regulator the Advertising Standards Authority (“ASA”) said in an email: “We’ve assessed the post you highlighted and, from the information we have, we think it likely to have breached the Advertising Codes (‘the Codes’) that we administer. We are writing to let you know that we have taken steps to address this.”
7. The ASA continued: “We have explained your concerns to the advertiser and provided guidance to them on the areas that require attention, together with advice on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes.”
8. talkSPORT only undermines its independence and credibility by blatantly blurring the separation between editorial and advertising this way.
9. Neither MansionBet nor talkSPORT responded to a request for comment.

Undisclosed interests at Committee on Standards in Public Life

1. The Committee on Standards in Public Life (“CSPL”) is one public body you would hope would have full disclosure on its register of interests. But it doesn’t.
2. Last month’s CSPL policy paper “Standards Matter 2: The Committee’s Findings” inadvertently shows why the incomplete disclosure of interests risks undermining the independence and credibility of the body that “advises the prime minister on arrangements for upholding ethical standards of conduct across public life in England”.

Figure 1. CSPL register of interests as at 15 April 2021

3. The latest register of interests, as at 15 April 2021, on the CSPL website has entries for the seven members of the committee, plus the secretariat (screen shot in Figure 1). Nevertheless the register says nothing about the CSPL press officer, Maggie O’Boyle (screen shot in Figure 2).

Figure 2. Maggie O’Boyle: CSPL press officer

4. Ms O’Boyle attends the monthly CSPL meetings, according to the minutes published on the website.

Figure 3. Maggie O’Boyle: ACOBA press officer – identified by phone number only

5. Yet Ms O’Boyle is a shared press officer: she also performs the role for both the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (“ACOBA”) (screen shot in Figure 3) and the Commissioner for Public Appointments (“CPA”), Peter Riddell (screen shot in Figure 4).

Figure 4. Maggie O’Boyle: CPA press officer

6. The minutes on the ACOBA website show Ms O’Boyle attends its meetings, too. It is important to note that the ACOBA minutes name the press officer as a member of the secretariat.
7. On 14 June 2021, CSPL published findings from its Standards Matter 2 review as a policy paper in advance of the final report “later this year”. There the committee identified four areas of standards regulation in England it says require “significant reform”. One of these is the business appointment rules and ACOBA, while another is the regulation of public appointments, where CPA is central.
8. CSPL styles itself as independent. But its press officer also works for two public bodies the committee scrutinised in its recent policy paper. This represents a clear conflict of interest.
9. What’s more, Ms O’Boyle is owner and sole director of a PR company, D F Press Ltd, according to Companies House records. There’s nothing about its clients on the opaque, one-page company website, where it confusingly calls itself DF Press (screen shot in Figure 5).

Figure 5. “DF Press” website at 27 June 2021

10. Then there’s the fact that Ms O’Boyle is named on the website of another PR company, 8hwe Ltd (screen shot in Figure 6). Again, 8hwe’s clients are unknown.

Figure 6. Maggie O’Boyle: 8hwe website at 26 June 2021

11. Lord Evans of Weardale, the former director general of the Security Service (MI5), is chair of CSPL. Soon after his appointment to the role in October 2018, I revealed Lord Evans’ avoidable conflict of interest (see 18 December 2018 post) – a story picked up by The Sunday Times newspaper (see 30 December 2018 post).
12. I emailed CSPL for comment on four issues. Lesley Bainsfair, head of the CSPL secretariat, responded. Below I reproduce in full her four answers.
13. First, on the incomplete disclosure of interests, Ms Bainsfair wrote: “The CSPL register of interests covers the Chair and members of the Committee and Secretariat staff. Maggie O’Boyle is not a member of staff, but her company, DF [sic] Press Ltd, is contracted to provide CSPL’s press service. This is done via open tender and in line with government procurement rules. The Committee is fully aware that she supports other ethics regulators who also require part-time press support. As our press officer, Maggie O’Boyle declares any interest if it relates to a particular issue of relevance under consideration when she is present. As a press officer, she is not making decisions, but is advising on presentation and handling the media requests that come to the Committee.”
14. Second, on the “Standards Matter 2: The Committee’s Findings” policy paper and conflict of interest, Ms Bainsfair wrote: “Our Standards Matter 2 findings were the conclusion of the Committee members. As noted above, our press officer declares any relevant interest in all discussions in which she is present.”
15. Third, on the failure of Ms O’Boyle to register her PR company, D F Press Limited, and its clients, Ms Bainsfair wrote: “See the answer to your first question.”
16. Fourth, on Ms O’Boyle’s undisclosed interest in relation to 8hwe and its clients, Ms Bainsfair wrote: “CSPL contracts the services of DF [sic] Press Ltd. This is done fully in line with government procurement rules. (8hwe is subcontracted as contingency cover to DF [sic] Press Ltd.)”
17. Note Ms Bainsfair refers to Ms O’Boyle’s company as DF Press Ltd throughout, when it’s actually D F Press Ltd. Like the firm website, then. When asked for comment on the discrepancy, Ms Bainsfair hadn’t responded by publication time.