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In early March 2024, Ofcom suggested that the rightwing broadcaster GB News doesn’t have to meet the same impartiality standards as broadcasters with a bigger audience. But we think this two-tier approach is unlawful.
GB News is a free-to-air news television and radio channel, launched in 2021, which is widely seen to be politically biased. Its roster of presenters has included Tory MPs Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey, Philip Davies and Lee Anderson, who recently defected to the rightwing populist party Reform UK. The former Channel 4 journalist Michael Crick, who the channel took off air during an interview, described GB News as “rightwing propaganda”.
Impartiality in the media is a cornerstone of democracy, with established rules that help make sure the public can see competing opinions and informed debate instead of being blasted with just one point of view. It’s Ofcom’s job to make sure all broadcasters – big or small – follow the rules on due impartiality.
But its CEO recently implied that the regulator holds GB News to a lower standard because of its smaller audience. This two-tier approach to impartiality appears not only to contradict Ofcom’s own Broadcasting Code, but also to breach the Communications Act 2003, making it unlawful.
We’ve teamed up with media expert Professor Julian Petley to hold Ofcom to account. Together, we’ve taken the first step in the legal process, calling on Ofcom to abolish any two-tier system and keep GB News in check.
Please support our legal action challenging Ofcom on due impartiality standards.