GB News challenging Ofcom following watchdog's impartiality conclusion
GB News has launched a High Court challenge against Ofcom following the regulator’s recent ruling that the channel breached the UK broadcasting code. It’s understood the TV channel is also applying for short-term protection during the legal proceedings.
According to The Telegraph, GB News has escalated its row with the competition authority for broadcasting telecommunications. It’s reported that High Court has allocated three hours on Thursday (October 3) to an application submitted by the terrestrial channel.
The publication writes that the broadcaster has also applied for “interim relief”, a form of temporary protection often used to preserve the status quo until a hearing has concluded. The latest update comes months after GB News first came under fire for hosting a question-and-answer session with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The hour-long event, which saw the 44-year-old taking queries from a studio of undecided voters, was deemed of breaking “broadcasting rules” by Ofcom. It is understood the programme generated a whopping 537 complaints and that the media regulator “found GB News’s approach to compliance to be wholly insufficient”.
In a statement, Ofcom wrote: “Given this represents a serious and repeated breach of these rules, we are now starting the process for consideration of a statutory sanction against GB News. We took into account a range of factors, such as: the audience’s questions to the Prime Minister; the Prime Minister’s responses; the presenter’s contribution; and whether due impartiality was preserved through clearly linked and timely programmes.”
READ MORE Eamonn Holmes under fire for 'unprofessional' GB News habit as viewers lash out
Ofcom had previously ruled a GB News Q&A session with Rishi Sunak had breached impartiality rules. (Image: GB News)As per the Financial Times, Ofcom has opened 19 investigations against the channel, finding it in breach 12 times.
Following the watchdog’s conclusion, the self-styled ‘people’s channel’ launched “legal action” against Ofcom.
“GB News has begun the formal legal process of challenging recent Ofcom decisions which go against journalists’ and broadcasters' rights to make their own editorial judgements in line with the law and which also go against Ofcom’s own rules,” a spokesperson said.
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“Ofcom is obliged by law to uphold freedom of expression. Ofcom is also obliged to apply its rules fairly and lawfully. We believe that, for some time now, Ofcom has been operating in the exact opposite manner.
“We cannot allow freedom of expression and media freedom to be trampled on in this way. Freedom of the press is a civil right established by the British in the seventeenth century with the abolition of censorship and licensing of the printing press.”
The media group added that they “refuse to stand by and allow this to be threatened”, claiming as the “People’s Channel” they champion “freedom; for our viewers, for our listeners, for everyone in the United Kingdom.”
GB News challenging Ofcom following watchdog's impartiality conclusion
GB News challenging Ofcom following watchdog's impartiality conclusion
GB News challenging Ofcom following watchdog's impartiality conclusion
GB News challenging Ofcom following watchdog's impartiality conclusion
GB News challenging Ofcom following watchdog's impartiality conclusion
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