The British government’s media regulator has found that insurgent television channel GB News has violated broadcasting rules over episodes hosted by Conservative Members of Parliament.
The Office of Communications (OfCom), which polices content on television and radio in Britain, said on Monday that five episodes aired by GB News, including two hosted by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and three co-hosted by Esther McVey and Philip Davies contravened impartiality rules.
While politicians in Britain are not permitted to host news programmes, they are permitted to host current affairs shows. However, the broadcasting regulator ruled that on at least five occasions, the shows saw the three Tory MPs acting “as newsreaders, news interviewers or news reporters in sequences which clearly constituted news – including reporting breaking news events – without exceptional justification” and “news was, therefore, not presented with due impartiality.”
“Politicians have an inherently partial role in society, and news content presented by them is likely to be viewed by audiences in light of that perceived bias,” the regulator said in a statement per the BBC.
“In our view, the use of politicians to present the news risks undermining the integrity and credibility of regulated broadcast news.”
For now, Ofcom said that it will not impose any penalty on GB News, but warned the network to not violate its rules again. According to the Guardian, at least eight other investigations are ongoing against the right-wing network.
For its part, GB News described the findings as “chilling”, saying in a statement: “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.”
In a video published before the announcement from Ofcom, Brexit leader Nigel Farage warned that GB News is “under attack” for challenging establishment narratives on issues ranging from climate change to mass migration.
Mr Farage, who has hosted a prime-time programme on the network since 2021 after retiring from frontline politics, revealed that his show is also under investigation, claiming that Ofcom is trying to classify him as a politician. While Mr Farage serves as an honorary president of the Reform UK party, he is not officially involved in the management of the party and is not currently standing for any political office.
Despite this, should the regulator successfully classify the Brexiteer as a politician, it could have major ramifications on how his programme is presented.
“The industry now sees us as a threat. The political establishment see us as a challenge. I sense there is an epic battle coming between now and the general election. There will be every attempt made to get me off air and every attempt made, frankly, to even get GB News off air,” Farage said.
“All these people in Westminster, the political class, the media class, they don’t believe in choice. They don’t believe in real debate. They basically think that anybody with a different point of view should be cancelled and shut down. Well, let me assure you, we are going to fight like hell and we’re not going to let them win,” he declared.