Ofcom: GB News broke impartiality rules, but no sanction

UK media regulator Ofcom has concluded that controversial news channel GB News repeatedly broke its impartiality rules by featuring Conservative Party MPs as news presenters.

Ofcom’s HQ (Source: Ofcom)

However, Ofcom, which has faced criticism for not holding the channel to the same standards as those imposed on public service broadcasters, has not imposed sanctions on GB News.

Ofcom has concluded that five programmes on GB news featuring politicians acting as news presenters broke broadcasting due impartiality rules.

Under Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code, news must be presented with due impartiality, and politicians cannot be a newsreader, news interviewer or news reporter unless, exceptionally, there is editorial justification.

If a broadcaster chooses to use a politician as a presenter in a programme containing both news and current affairs content, it must take steps to ensure they do not act as a newsreader, news interviewer or news reporter in that programme, according to the rules.

Ofcom found that two episodes of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation, two episodes of Friday Morning with Esther and Phil, and one episode of Saturday Morning with Esther and Phil, broadcast during May and June 2023, failed to comply with Rules 5.1 and 5.3 of the Broadcasting Code.

The regulator 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.

Ofcom said that it considered it was necessary and proportionate to find a breach of Rules 5.1 and 5.3 in these circumstances.

The watchdog decided that a sixth programme – a separate episode of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation – did not raise issues because it was an example of something providing exceptional editorial justification. The reason give was that Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg was used as an eye-witness, in situ news reporter during an unforeseen security incident at Buckingham Palace.

Defending its decision not to impose sanctions, Ofcom said that there has only been one further programme which has raised issues warranting investigation under these rules.

The regulator said it was “clear” 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.