Channel 4 News has admitted it failed to make clear that a junior doctor who appeared on the programme has links to the Labour party.
Dagan Lonsdale was introduced only as a ‘junior doctor’ when he appeared on the TV news show last week and criticised the government over the state of the health service.
But it later emerged that Dr Lonsdale is a Labour supporter who spoke at the launch of a party health plan last year.
Viewers have since complained that his connections to the party were not made clear before he was allowed to slam the Conservative Government and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt live on air.
It comes after the BBC was criticised for failing to point out that a nurse who repeatedly attacked the Government is a pro-Corbyn supporter.
Channel 4 News has admitted it should have informed views of the Labour party links of a junior doctor who berated the government when he appeared on the show last week
Dagan Lonsdale was only introduced as a ‘junior doctor’ before he berated the government over the health service and accused the Health Secretary of ‘double speak’
A Channel 4 spokesman has since said: ‘We accept that given his previous campaign activity on behalf of the Labour Party, his political interests should have been made clearer to viewers.’
Dr Lonsdale appeared on the show as part of a discussion alongside Labour MP Eleanor Smith and Kate Andrews, from the Institute of Economic Affairs.
He accused Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt of ‘showmanship’, ‘double-speak’ before signing off: ‘It’s a course created by this government that now must be held to account.’
Dr Lonsdale was hailed by Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan in May last year when he helped launch the party’s ‘NHS New Deal’ alongside another Labour MP, Jon Ashworth.
He has also praised Labour’s election campaign as ‘extraordinary’ on his Twitter feed and retweeted messages by Jeremy Corbyn.
As well as speaking at a Labour event, Dr Lonsdale has previously tweeted messages of support for Jeremy Corbyn, as well as retweeting messages sent by the Labour leader
He previously confronted Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt live on air after ambushing on Sky News and held a protest outside the Department of Health.
Channel 4 insisted that the discussion with Dr Lonsdale followed an ‘in-depth’ interview with Mr Hunt running for ‘over seven minutes’.
It comes after activist Danielle Tiplady was introduced as a ‘staff nurse’ when she was interviewed by BBC 5Live and reeled off Labour attack lines on the NHS
It comes after a staff nurse was interviewed by BBC 5Live over the state of the NHS without the show mentioning she was a Corbyn supporter.
Danielle Tiplady, once photographed alongside the Labour leader, was interviewed by BBC 5Live during which it was claimed she reeled off Labour attack lines on the NHS.
But the BBC introduced the staff nurse only by saying ‘Let’s bring in Danielle who is a staff nurse’.
Listeners were not told that she was a left-wing activist who had previously written for the communist Morning Star newspaper.
the BBC admitted it should have made clear on air she was a political activist.
A spokesman said: ‘BBC 5 live seeks a wide range of voices for its phone-ins. We should have established and made clear on air this contributor was a political activist.
‘The programme also spoke to Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, Chair of the Health Select Committee in the House of Commons.’