Hour-long question and answer session with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in February breaches multiple UK broadcasting rules.
- Broadcast regulator Ofcom found the session did not conform with due impartiality rules and give the PM a “mostly uncontested platform” to promote his Government.
- News channel’s poor record of compliance taken into account meaning GB News could face a financial sanction.
Following 547 complaints about the GB News “People’s Forum” in February in which audience members were allowed to ask questions to the Prime Minister, an Ofcom investigation has ruled the broadcaster committed “serious and repeated” breaches of two broadcasting code rules.
Although the broadcast regulator said it has “no issue” with the programme’s format in principle, it found an appropriately wide range of significant viewpoints was not presented and given due weight. The presenter was seen as being too light touch and not challenging the PM’s comments.
As a result, Ofcom said Rishi Sunak had a mostly uncontested platform to promote the policies and performance of his Government in a period preceding a UK General Election. The broadcaster also did not offer viewers a follow-up programme that would look at opposing viewpoints.
After finding the broadcaster guilty of breaching rules yet again, it told GB News it would have to now consider the imposition of a statutory sanction – a fine – on the broadcaster.
Ofcom previously fined news channels RT and CGTN, eventually removing their licence as violations of broadcasting rules continued.
Meanwhile, GB News has said that Ofcom’s investigation was “damaging GB News’s ability to host a ‘Forum’ programme with the leader of the opposition and other party leaders”. It told Ofcom that the regulator’s “premature intervention in this matter has made the provision of a follow-up programme … considerably more difficult.”
Why did the Q&A session breach UK broadcasting rules?
While some of the audience’s questions provided some challenge to, and criticism of, the
Government’s policies and performance, audience members were not able to challenge the
Prime Minister’s responses and the Presenter did not do this to any meaningful extent.
Ofcom concluded that GB News broke rule 5.11 on due impartiality and 5.12 on dealing with matters of major political controversy and major matters relating to current public policy.
Ofcom’s investigation of the programme found:
- The Prime Minister was able to set out some future policies that his Government planned to implement, if re-elected in the forthcoming UK General Election. Neither the audience or the Presenter challenged or otherwise referred to significant alternative views on these.
- The Prime Minister criticised aspects of the Labour Party’s policies and performance. While politicians are of course able to do this in programmes, licensees must ensure that due impartiality is preserved. Neither the Labour Party’s views or positions on those issues, or any other significant views on those issues were included in the programme or given due weight.
- The Licensee did not, and was not able to, include a reference in the programme to an agreed future programme in which an appropriately wide range of significant views on the major matter would be presented and given due weight.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: GB News publicity