A free and pluralistic media is a cornerstone of democracy, but are activist groups in the UK now weaponising regulatory mechanisms and coordinated complaint campaigns to suppress dissenting viewpoints? GB News has found itself at the centre of such efforts, with a concerted push by campaign groups to pressure Ofcom into sanctioning the channel.
The latest case involves a segment on Headliners, which received a record number of complaints after the Good Law Project and Stop Funding Hate mobilised their supporters. This raises important questions about the role of regulation in broadcasting—and whether it is being used to stifle rather than uphold media plurality.
The Telegraph reports on the latest developments.
Angelos Frangopoulos, the chief executive of GB News, said the channel had been “subjected to a coordinated political campaign by far-Left pressure groups” that he claimed were threatening free speech.
It came after Ofcom, the media regulator, opened an investigation into an episode of GB News’s newspaper review show Headliners, hosted by comedian Josh Howie.
The episode, which aired in January, is thought to have attracted tens of thousands of complaints after Mr Howie suggested that the LGBTQ+ community included paedophiles.
Ofcom previously said it was assessing the episode after receiving more than 1,200 complaints. This number is thought to have risen after the Good Law Project, a campaign group founded by lawyer Jolyon Maugham, presented a petition with more than 70,000 signatures to the regulator.
It said: “GB News is no stranger to spouting hatred and toxic lies. They take pride in it, and pretend the rules don’t matter. It’s clearly illegal to stir up hatred by broadcasting a poisonous myth.”
If Ofcom were to count each complaint individually, it would set a new record for broadcasting issues, usurping the 58,000 people who complained about Piers Morgan’s infamous monologue about Meghan Markle on Good Morning Britain.
The Headliners episode also triggered a backlash from the campaign group Stop Funding Hate, which branded the comments “toxic and dangerous”. The group is urging Sky, which handles advertising for GB News, to cut ties with the channel.
Mr Frangopoulos said: “It is important to appreciate that this programme has been subjected to a coordinated political campaign by far-Left pressure groups. Their actions and direct lobbying of Ofcom should concern all of us who believe in free speech in our country.
“These groups shamelessly masquerade as being for the ‘good’, but their words and actions are filled with hate.
“It’s time to call out this anti-democratic behaviour which includes our staff being falsely accused of homophobia – nothing could be further from the truth. We will not be silenced by these self-serving attacks; and we will vigorously defend the channel and our presenters’ freedom of speech rights.”
The row relates to a debate over a sermon given by an episcopal bishop, who urged Donald Trump, the US president, to “have mercy” on gay, lesbian and transgender children “who fear for their lives”.
During the programme, Mr Howie quoted a statement from the bishop’s church that referred to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. The presenter added: “I just want to say, that includes paedos, if you’re doing the full inclusion.”
In a long statement on social media, Mr Howie said the comments were intended as a joke, adding: “It’s a comedy show. Where three comedians make jokes as we review the next day’s newspapers.”
GB News said Mr Howie’s comments had been “misrepresented”.
There’s more on this story here.
