Ofcom has not upheld a complaint from BrewDog into a BBC documentary which looked into claims about its corporate culture.
Reporter Mark Daly, who presented the documentary
BrewDog claimed the company and its chief executive, James Watt, were treated unfairly by the Disclosure programme, entitled The Truth about BrewDog. It also said the programme had infringed Watt’s right to privacy.
Ofcom’s decision is that material facts were not presented, disregarded, or omitted in a way that was unfair to the complainants, that they had an appropriate and timely opportunity to respond to the allegations made in the programme, and that their response was fairly reflected in the programme.
Ofcom also considered that Watt had a legitimate expectation of privacy with regard to the obtaining and subsequent broadcast of material concerning Mr Watt’s personal investments.
However, his legitimate expectation of privacy did not, on balance, outweigh the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression and the public interest in obtaining and including the material in the programme. Therefore, there was no unwarranted infringement of Mr Watt’s privacy in connection with the obtaining and subsequent broadcast of the material included in the programme.
The programme, broadcast by BBC Scotland in January 2022, looked at BrewDog’s marketing strategy and commercial practices in the context of claims about its corporate culture. The programme included accounts given by former BrewDog employees who spoke about their experiences of Watt’s alleged personal misconduct.
The full documentation of the adjudication is available to view here.
