National Grid Propaganda Piece Withdrawn

Adverts can no longer claim renewables are cheap

Regular readers might recall that back in April, I wrote an article rebutting a blatant piece of propaganda that appeared in an advertorial in the Guardian, paid for by the National Grid.

I complained to both the Guardian and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and there is both good news and bad news to report.

The bad news is that the Guardian dismissed the complaint saying:

“Colleagues have been through the piece in light of your comments, and do not believe that there is a basis for amending the copy of the article.”

The good news is the ASA appear to have taken a dim view of the article. Their response noted that the article has now been removed from the Guardian’s website and they said:

“We have decided to resolve your complaint through the provision of advice to the advertiser. Therefore, we have explained the concerns raised to the advertiser and provided them with guidance on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes both now and in future.”

It is not clear whether the withdrawal of the article is related to the “advice” they gave or whether it is merely a coincidence. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that renewables are an expensive source of power and false claims can no longer be made in the press.

I think we should chalk this up as some sort of victory.

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