GB News has violated Ofcom’s broadcasting standards for the first time since its start in June 2021.
The media watchdog issued the notification on Monday, March 6, noting that the breach was caused by an episode of the Mark Steyn show that aired on the channel on April 21, 2022. The show’s presenter just quit.
‘We have been consistently clear that, under our rules, broadcasters are free to transmit programmes which may be considered controversial and challenging, or which question statistics or other evidence produced by governments or other official sources,’ Ofcom said.
‘It can clearly be in the public interest to do so. However, with this editorial freedom comes an obligation to ensure that, when portraying factual matters, audiences are not materially misled.’
The statement continued: ‘In this case, our investigation found that an episode of the Mark Steyn programme fell short of these standards – not because it exercised its editorial freedom to challenge mainstream narratives around Covid-19 vaccination – but because, in doing so, it presented a materially misleading interpretation of official data without sufficient challenge or counterweight, risking harm to viewers.’
The broadcasting authority outlined that the programme ‘incorrectly claimed that official UKHSA data provided definitive evidence of a causal link between receiving a third Covid-19 vaccine and higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates’.
According to the decision, this assertion was’materially deceptive’ because of how it was presented to its audience.
‘The way the data was presented to viewers during the programme did not take account of the significant differences in age or health of people in the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups studied,’ it said.
‘We also took into account the definitive way in which the misleading interpretation of the data was presented, and the absence of adequate counterweight or genuine challenge. The programme also failed to reflect that the UKHSA reports made clear that the raw data contained within them should not be used to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the vaccine.’
Ofcom concluded by emphasising that the misleading claims ‘were broadcast as part of a factual programme on a news and current affairs service’, and therefore could have influenced viewers to make ‘important decisions about their own health’.
‘We concluded that the programme was potentially harmful and materially misleading, in breach of Rule 2.2 of the Broadcasting Code,’ the firm added.
Ofcom has received over 3,400 complaints about GB News since 2021, yet this is the first violation of its broadcasting guidelines.
More than 1,600 complaints regarding GB News have been filed in connection with the Covid-19 epidemic.
In response to the ruling, GB News said in a statement that the channel was ‘disappointed’ by Ofcom’s decision, writing: ‘Our role in media is to ask tough questions, point out inconsistencies in government policy, and hold public bodies to account when the facts justify it.
‘Mark Steyn’s programme did exactly that. We support his right to challenge the status quo by examining the small but evident risks of the third Covid booster.’
The response continued: ‘As news stories in the last week have highlighted, it was prescient to question whether the government was candid with all the facts. It is an important story in the public interest.
‘Mr Steyn looked at evidence from the government’s own health data. He drew a reasonable conclusion from the facts. However, he drew only one conclusion. We accept that the data offered several valid interpretations, and he should have made this clear. Had he done so, the story would have remained within the wide freedoms that Ofcom’s Broadcast Code allows.’
Mark just resigned from his GB News show after being taken off the air due to two heart attacks.
In a video opening up on his departure, he said: ‘I’m on the hook for Ofcom fines but I don’t have any say in our defence against an Ofcom complaint – that’s all done by GB News.’
What is Ofcom and what does it cover?
Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day.
The watchdog makes sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.
Ofcom deals with most content on television, radio and video-on-demand services, including the BBC. However, if your complaint is about something you saw or heard in a BBC programme, you may need to complain to the BBC first.
Its rules for television and radio programmes are set out in the Broadcasting Code.
The rules in the Broadcasting Code also apply to the BBC iPlayer.
This Broadcasting Code is the rule book that broadcasters have to follow and it covers a number of areas, including; protecting the under-18s, protecting audiences from harmful and/or offensive material and ensuring that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality.
Audiences can complain to Ofcom if they believe a breach of the Broadcasting Code has been made.
Every time Ofcom receives a complaint from a viewer or listener, they assess it to see if it needs further investigation.
If Ofcom decide to investigate, they will include the case in a list of new investigations, published in the Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin.
An investigation is a formal process which can take some time depending on the complexity of the issues involved.
Ofcom can also launch investigations in the absence of a complaint from a viewer or listener.