Ofcom Rules GB News Shows Hosted By Politicians Broke Impartiality Rules

Ofcom ruled against specific episodes of a show hosted by MP Jacob Ress-Mogg . (Screengrab via GB News/YouTube)

Media watchdog Ofcom ruled Monday that GB News crossed the line by having politicians employed as presenters, violating broadcasting impartiality standards.

The ruling listed five shows, including two episodes of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation as well as two episodes of Friday Morning With Esther And Phil and one of Saturday Morning With Esther And Phil, in breach of the Broadcasting Code’s rules. The shows were hosted by sitting Tory MPs Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey and Philip Davies.

These episodes, which aired in May and June 2023, mixed news with current affairs content, said the watchdog, wherein host politicians took on roles typically reserved for unbiased newsreaders, interviewers, or reporters without adequate justification.

Ofcom’s review highlighted that these actions contravened Rules 5.1 and 5.3 of the Broadcasting Code by failing to maintain the necessary impartiality in broadcast news presentation.

The regulator stressed the inherent partiality of politicians, which risks the perceived bias affecting the integrity and credibility of broadcast news. Conversely, a sixth programme involving Rees-Mogg was cited as an example of acceptable editorial justification when he reported live as an eyewitness during an unexpected incident at Buckingham Palace.

These findings mark the first instances of GB News violating these particular rules as Ofcom issued a warning that it would monitor future compliance and that repeated violations of would result in statutory sanctions.