The chief executive of Ofcom has set out the media regulator’s approach to politician-fronted TV shows following the launch of two investigations into programmes broadcast on GB News and Talk TV.
Dame Melanie Dawes’ choice of publication of the Daily Telegraph is in itself worth noting, given that the paper is the most Conservative of the UK’s newspapers, and the majority of the presenters and broadcasters are from the right of the political spectrum.
Ofcom has also recently contributed to the Telegraph’s letters page, following a debate on the subject.
Reminding readers that one in seven UK adults that now only access news online, Dame Melanie says trusted news content now has to fight for our attention alongside unreliable clickbait.
She writes the Broadcasting Code – which reflect the duties set for Ofcom by Parliament – is designed to protect audiences from harm, and to secure a counterweight to other, more partial, sources of news.
Dame Melanie says impartiality rules are not the same as neutrality. “It means ‘adequate or appropriate to the subject and nature of the programme’. So when we apply our rules we take account of a number of contextual factors, including the nature of the subject, the type of programme and channel, and the likely expectation of the audience.
“The Broadcasting Code is clear that serving politicians cannot be a newsreader, interviewer or reporter in any news programme, unless there is an exceptional editorial justification. And in those exceptional cases, their political allegiance must be made clear to the audience. News programmes will usually involve newsreaders directly addressing the audience, and may include reporter packages or live reports, with a mix of video and reporter items.”
The GB News investigation centres around GB News after coverage of the civil trial verdict involving former US President Donald Trump was fronted by the Conservative politician and former member of the Boris Johnson government, Jacob Rees-Mogg. It is also looking into a TalkTV programme fronted by Scottish nationalist Alex Salmond.
