GB News
The prime minister Rishi Sunak led a programme on GB News.

Ofcom says it is considering launching sanctions against GB News after the channel was found to have broken impartiality rules.

The programme People’s Forum: The Prime Minister featured Prime Minister Rishi Sunak answering questions about the Government’s policies and performance.

On the programme, Ofcom said it was heightened controversy in the context of the general election:

“We considered that this constituted a matter of major political controversy and a major matter relating to current public policy. When covering major matters, all Ofcom licensees must comply
with the heightened special impartiality requirements in the Code. These rules require broadcasters to include and give due weight to an appropriately wide range of significant views within a programme or in clearly linked and timely programmes.”

Ofcom stated that major issues with the programme were:

      • Audience members were not able to challenge the
        Prime Minister’s responses.
      • Presenters did not challenge the prime minister’s views.
      • The Prime Minister criticised the labour party but they were not given space to respond.
      • The programme did not include references to any future programmes where opposing views would be presented and given due weight.

But the channel disagrees that it broke impartiality rules, saying it could not understand how it lacked the “appropriately wide range of significant views”.

The broadcaster stated that:

“Our live programme gave an independently selected group of undecided voters the freedom to challenge the Prime Minister without interference.”

Ofcom’s sanctions could see the broadcast regulator:

    • Impose a financial penalty.
    • Shorten a licence.
    • Revoke a licence.
    • Issue a direction not to repeat a programme
    • Issue a direction to broadcast a correction or a statement of Ofcom’s finding

The broadcast regulator Ofcom has found GB News in breach of its rules 12 times since it launched in 2021.

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