GB News Begins Legal Challenge Against Ofcom Rulings

Five episodes of GB News programmes that were presented by Tory MPs were recently found by Ofcom to have broken broadcasting rules. (Press Association via AP Images)

GB News formally launched a legal challenge to media watchdog Ofcom’s recent rulings against it, which accused the channel of repeatedly breaching the Broadcasting Code.

The move comes following Ofcom’s announcement on Monday that it might issue a statutory sanction against GB News, including a potential financial penalty, for “serious and repeated” violations of due impartiality rules.

The latest ruling found that GB News had breached impartiality with its People’s Forum in February. Ofcom ruled that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was given a “mostly uncontested platform” to promote government policies ahead of the upcoming UK General Election. GB News and its hosts have strongly criticised Ofcom’s decision.

GB News has, however, been subject to several investigations by Ofcom for code violations.

In March, the media watchdog said it had “significant concerns” over GB News’ editorial control in a ruling that found former host Laurence Fox had made misogynistic remarks on air. The same month, Ofcom found five programs presented by Conservative MPs had breached impartiality rules, noting the lack of “exceptional justification” for politicians acting as newsreaders.

The broadcaster has not disclosed details of its legal challenge but released the following statement on its website:

“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.

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.

We refuse to stand by and allow this right to be threatened. As the People’s Channel we champion this freedom; for our viewers, for our listeners, for everyone in the United Kingdom.”