Ofcom has put GB News on notice following a number of investigations that found five of the broadcaster’s programmes, hosted by Tory MPs, in violation of its broadcasting code last year. GB News could face a sanction if it repeats any of the breaches.
The communications regulator said on Monday that two episodes of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation and three episodes of morning shows presented by Esther McVey and Phil Davies, aired on GB News between May and June last year, failed to meet impartiality standards.
All three hosts are currently serving Conservative MPs.
Ofcom said: “All five programmes in question contained a mix of news and current affairs content.
“We found that host politicians acted as newsreaders, news interviewers or news reporters in sequences which clearly constituted news – including reporting breaking news events – without exceptional justification. News was, therefore, not presented with due impartiality.”
The offending shows were found to have violated rules 5.1 and 5.3 of the broadcasting code, which require news to be reported accurately and presented impartially, and prohibit the use of politicians as newsreaders, interviewers, or reporters unless editorially justified.
“We are clear, however, that GB News is put on notice that any repeated breaches of Rules 5.1 and 5.3 may result in the imposition of a statutory sanction,” Ofcom said.
A statutory sanction – something the watchdog describes as a “serious matter” – means Ofcom could impose a number of penalties. It could ban repeat showings of the individual programme, fine the broadcaster, or, in the the worst cases, suspend or revoke a broadcaster’s licence.
In 2022, Ofcom revoked Russia Today’s broadcast licence after a high volume of due impartiality breaches over a short period sparked “great concern”.
In response to Ofcom’s findings, GB News said: “We are deeply concerned by the decisions Ofcom has made today. We will raise this directly with the regulator in the strongest possible terms.
“Ofcom is obliged by law to promote free speech and media plurality, and to ensure that alternative voices are heard. Its latest decisions, in some cases a year after the programme aired, contravene those duties.
“This is a chilling development for all broadcasters, for freedom of speech, and for everyone in the United Kingdom. These decisions go against established precedent and raises serious questions about Ofcom’s oversight over its own regulations.
“We are committed to continuing to feature serving politicians hosting programmes and will continue to do so – just as other Ofcom regulated services have in the past and still do.”