GB News is facing a significant fine for breaching Ofcom’s impartiality rules after losing a High Court bid to block sanctions from the media regulator.
A judge rejected the news channel’s request to pause Ofcom’s sanctions process, allowing the regulator to proceed with planned sanctions, including a potentially significant fine.
The controversy stems from a live debate program featuring former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which aired in February. Ofcom received more than 500 complaints and ruled that GB News had breached impartiality rules by failing to provide balanced perspectives during broadcast. The regulator argued that the channel did not give equal weight to opposing views, either in the debate itself or in a related programme.
GB News had applied for an injunction to prevent Ofcom from publishing details of the sanctions, claiming it would cause “irreparable damage” to the broadcaster’s reputation. However, Mr Justice Chamberlain rejected the argument, stating that the public interest in completing the trial outweighed the potential harm to the broadcaster. The judge highlighted the importance of Ofcom’s regulatory role in maintaining public confidence and ensuring broadcasters’ compliance.
Ofcom has provisionally decided to impose a significant statutory penalty on GB News, with a final decision expected shortly. However, the court has allowed GB News to conduct a judicial review of the infringement decision, which could challenge the regulator’s findings.
The case marks a pivotal moment for GB News, which has been found to have breached Ofcom broadcasting rules dozens of times, including issues relating to impartiality and the use of politicians as presenters. The channel has been criticized for employing figures such as Jacob Rees-Mogg as presenters, with two episodes of its program recently ruled to have broken rules banning politicians from acting as newsreaders.
Ofcom welcomed the court’s decision to allow the sanctions process to proceed, saying it reflected the public interest in upholding broadcasting standards. GB News CEO Angelos Frangopoulos expressed satisfaction that the court had granted permission to challenge Ofcom’s decisions, stating that the broadcaster believes some of the regulator’s rulings are “neither fair nor lawful” have been.
The ultimate outcome of this case is likely to set a precedent for future regulatory action regarding political content on British news channels, as GB News continues its controversial approach to broadcasting.