GB News fined £100,000 by Ofcom over Rishi Sunak programme
GB News has been fined £100,000 for breaking impartiality rules over a programme featuring Rishi Sunak, Ofcom has said.
The regulator announced in May that the show called People’s Forum: The Prime Minister was found to have broken broadcasting rules.
In response, GB News chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos said the fine was a “direct attack on free speech and journalism in the United Kingdom”.
“We believe these sanctions are unnecessary, unfair and unlawful,” he added.
The hour-long show, which aired on 12 February, saw members of the public put questions to the then-prime minister.
However, Ofcom received 547 complaints about the programme.
The regulator found earlier this year that while featuring Mr Sunak was fine in principle, “due weight” should have been given to an “appropriately wide range of significant views” other than the Conservatives.
It said the then-prime minister “had a mostly uncontested platform to promote the policies and performance of his Government in a period preceding a UK General Election,” which it recorded as a breach of impartiality rules.
On Thursday, Ofcom said “given the seriousness and repeated nature of this breach,” it has imposed a £100,000 financial penalty on GB News.
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The channel was also directed to “broadcast a statement of our findings against it, on a date and in a form determined by us”.
GB News is challenging the breach decision by judicial review and Ofcom will not enforce the sanction decision until those proceedings are concluded.
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Mr Frangopoulos said in response that the programme “was an important piece of public interest programming” and that “appropriate steps” were taken to ensure due impartiality.
He added: “It was designed to allow members of the public to put their own questions directly to leading politicians.
“GB News chooses to be regulated and we understand our obligations under the Code.
“But, equally, Ofcom is obliged by law to uphold freedom of expression and apply its rules fairly and lawfully.”
Ofcom also found GB News violated due impartiality rules in March over five programmes that featured Tory MPs as presenters.