BBC and Sky cleared over Saddam coverage

Ofcom has refused to uphold 70 complaints following the broadcast of footage of Saddam Hussein's execution last year.

Complainants were concerned with the effect of certain images on younger viewers, which showed extracts of Hussein's execution on December 30.

After studying the footage, Ofcom decided that although there were no specific warnings, both the BBC and Sky did provide "appropriate information" for news channels as required by the Broadcasting Code and so viewers would have been aware "to a great extent of the nature of the subsequent reports".

The media regulator said the unique nature of the events justified the use of the pictures in both instances and because the actual moment of death was never shown, the complaints were not upheld. But it warned broadcasters to consider carefully the future use of such strong material as general background imagery in interviews or live discussions with correspondents.