GB News has dealt with a number of Ofcom complaints in its time, but now things have become a little more serious. The media regulator has today announced that it plans to impose a whopping £100,000 fine on Gbeebies for ‘breaking due impartiality rules’ after it aired a pre-election interview with outgoing Tory leader and former prime minister Rishi Sunak. Crikey.
The programme with which Ofcom took issue – titled People’s Forum: The Prime Minister – was, according to the media watchdog, ‘in breach of Rules 5.11 and 5.12 of the Broadcasting Code’ after Sunak was given ‘a mostly uncontested platform’ to big up the work of the government. The regulator explains that ‘given the seriousness and repeated nature of this breach’, a six-figure fine is necessary. It’s not quite the end of the matter for GB News yet, however, as the broadcaster will challenge the breach decision via judicial review – meaning that the sanction imposed by Ofcom will not be enforced until this process has concluded.
In retaliation to the media watchdog’s notice, GB News has issued a furious response. Slamming Ofcom’s decision as a ‘direct attack on free speech and journalism in the UK’, the broadcaster insists that the sanctions are ‘unnecessary, unfair and unlawful’. Going on, the channel rages:
The plan to sanction GB News flies in the face of Ofcom’s duty to act fairly, lawfully and proportionately to safeguard free speech, particularly political speech and on matters of public interest. We have believed from the very start the People’s Forum was an important piece of public interest programming, and that appropriate steps were taken to ensure due impartiality and compliance with the Broadcasting Code. It was designed to allow members of the public to put their own questions directly to leading politicians.
At the People’s Channel we will continue to fearlessly champion freedom; for our viewers, for our listeners, and for everyone in the United Kingdom. As we have all seen, this is needed more than ever.
Shots fired! The decision has sparked outrage on social media, with users levelling accusations of hypocrisy at the regulator over other broadcasters not receiving similar fines. Certainly Mr S is rather interested in Ofcom’s decision making here – not least because no such penalty has been issued to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, after it allowed presenter Ed Balls to interview Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who also happens to be his, um, wife. Despite the media watchdog receiving more than 8,000 complaints about the matter, no action has been taken on this issue so far as yet. Will Ofcom turn its guns on ITV in the same way it has GB News? Don’t hold your breath…
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