Ofcom has warned broadcasters that they must maintain due impartiality ahead of the General Election.
The regulator has issued strengthened industry guidance on the use of politicians as presenters in the wake of a string of complaints concerning the right-leaning opinion channel GB News. Its used a number of Conservative politicians as host and has founding itself on receiving end of a string of complaints.
The regulator has published details of qualitative research it has undertaken that explores audiences’ understanding of news and current affairs content and their expectations of due impartiality when politicians are presenting.
“There are a number of important lessons here for broadcasters. We expect them to pay close attention to what their viewers and listeners are telling them through the research, our published decisions involving politicians as presenters, and to our strengthened guidance on how we expect the rules to apply in practice,” said Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Ofcom’s Broadcasting and Media Group Director.
“As we approach the local elections and edge ever nearer to a General Election, we’re also sending a clear warning to broadcasters – and particularly those that use politicians as presenters – that nothing short of the highest standards of compliance with the heightened impartiality rules during this period will be acceptable. Should any broadcaster fall short, we’ll move swiftly to enforce those rules.”
The research found that people feel that news should be held to the highest standards of impartiality. Audiences recognise different editorial elements of a programme that define whether a programme is news or current affairs. Participants typically associate news content with shorter, breaking, factual and live reporting, often cutting to a reporter on the ground.
The waters become muddied when the programme contains both. More could be done to make such segments more distinctive.
Ofcom says there was a range of views about politicians presenting current affairs, but no clear consensus on an outright ban.
Ofcom’s new guidance reinforces the prohibition on politicians presenting news content. They must ensure they do not act as a newsreader, news interviewer or news reporter at any point in that programme.
There was a warning to broadcasters using politicians as presenters that any breaches of election programming rules are likely to be serious and to result in Ofcom considering the imposition of statutory sanctions.
