Ofcom has found an edition of the Mark Steyn programme on GB News to be in breach of broadcasting rules.
According to the regulator, the programme, broadcast on April 21, 2022, incorrectly claimed that official UKHSA data provided definitive evidence of a causal link between receiving a third Covid-19 vaccine and higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates.
Ofcom said the content was “materially misleading” because the way the data was presented to viewers during the programme did not take account of the significant differences in age or health of people in the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups studied.
In a statement, Ofcom said that while broadcasters are free to transmit programmes which may be considered controversial and challenging, the obligation to ensure audiences are not materially misled remained.
In February, Steyn has said he had left GB News after being told he would be liable for any fine imposed on the station by Ofcom.
The Canadian-born broadcaster had taken a break from the channel after suffering two heart attacks at the end of December.
A separate investigation remains open on an episode of the Mark Steyn programme featuring author and journalist Dr Naomi Wolf that received 411 complaints after its broadcast last October.
