United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
ASA rules against adverts by green campaigners
Green campaign groups opposed to UK airport expansion have been misleading the public, advertising regulators have ruled.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints that national press ads from environment campaigners AirportWatch and enoughsenough were misleading and should not be repeated.
A full page advertisement in the national press taken out by the two campaign groups featured a picture of Gordon Brown and made claims that were found to have breached the Code of Advertising Practice in two areas (3.1) Substantiation and 7.1 (Truthfulness).
The ASA also found that a claim in the ads that ‘60% of people in an ICM Poll had said no to airport expansion anywhere in the UK’ was had ‘misrepresented the results of the survey’ and were ‘likely to mislead’.
In a formal adjudication, the ASA went on to say that figures used for aviation emissions were also ‘likely to mislead’ because they were based on the campaigners’ own emissions calculations rather than official data.
Clive Soley, campaign director of Future Heathrow said: “The adjudication is very serious. It shows that these groups who represent some of the most vocal campaigning organisations against plans for Heathrow’s sustainable expansion, have used polls and data to mislead the public.
“The public should be aware that some of their advertising is misleading and they should look at it with care.â€
By Bev Fearis
Related News Stories:
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Storm Lilian travel chaos as bank holiday flights cancelled