To misquote Oscar Wilde to lose one presenter is unfortunate, to lose two strikes of carelessness. But three?
GB News is to say the least, having a little local difficulty. The catalyst was the misogynistic comments made by actor turned political activist Laurence Fox against journalist Ava Evans.
Fox, who eventually apologised, was shown the door, as was Dan Wooton who was suspended, as was Calvin Robinson who voiced his supported for the suspended presenter.
Twitter is alight with comments from both sides of the argument, including the usual selection of people who seem to think it’s all the fault of the BBC.
When GB News launched we were sort of expecting a UK version of Fox News, except that Ofcom rules mean that on matters of political controversy at least GB News is required to be ‘Fair and Balanced’, which incidentally is a slogan once used by Fox News.
A right-wing news channel should be free to demand the restoration of the death penalty, but not make comments about a female journalist in the manner that would feel out of place in a sixth form common room.
Channel boss Angelos Frangopoulos says he was “appalled” by what happened and has personally apologised to Ms Evans.
But should we be surprised that it happened in the first place? Twitter/X can be a nasty place and when you set yourself up to replicate the arguments that live there on television, it isn’t going to end well.
Frangopoulos, who once ran Sky News Australia, says GB News is a different kind of channel and while he respects Ofcom GB News doesn’t fit under the same rules as News at Ten. His comments are a response to Ofcom’s investigation into how two GB News presenters, who also manage to find time to be Conservative MPs, should be allowed to interview a Conservative Chancellor a week before the budget.
If it’s not news it’s what we used to call current affairs, where Ofcom’s rules are just as applicable.
Maybe another problem for GB News is that it’s presenters just aren’t used to being presenters. It’s not like the launch of Sky News for example, where there was a trawal of the country’s regional newsrooms, and a few ‘overlooked’ presenters from network bulletin. Many, not all, have been picked for their political standpoint, not their experience of live TV.
If GB News is not a news channel, it probably doesn’t need the word in its title.
