Ofcom under fire after refusing to investigate ‘misleading’ GB News Trump interview

US president not challenged over false claims climate change is ‘hoax’ and parts of London have sharia law

The UK’s media regulator Ofcom has been accused of abandoning “any pretence” of guarding against misleading and biased television coverage, after it refused to investigate a series of complaints about a GB News interview with Donald Trump.

During the interview with the rightwing network, broadcast last November, the US president falsely claimed human-induced climate change was “a hoax” and that London had no-go areas for police. He said parts of the capital had “sharia law”.

He also made other claims about law and order and immigration that critics said were either left unchallenged or endorsed by interviewer Bev Turner, the host of GB News’s US-based nightly show.

However, Ofcom said it had decided not to investigate 32 complaints that claimed the interview was either misleading or partial in its presentation.

A spokesperson conceded that Trump’s views “were not challenged during the interview itself”, but said “alternative perspectives” were set out in a surrounding panel discussion, which challenged his opinions.

Chris Banatvala, Ofcom’s founding director of standards , who drafted its code and investigation procedures, said he was “astounded” by Ofcom’s decision.

“If there were ever a case that merited investigation for the broadcast of potentially misleading material and a failure to meet due impartiality requirements, this was it,” he said.

“Donald Trump was allowed to make a number of unfounded allegations without any challenge whatsoever, with the potential to mislead viewers, undermining the most basic standards expected of broadcast journalism and regulatory requirements.

“This was a test case for how Ofcom regulates broadcasters on due impartiality. It has failed that test. The decision raises serious questions about whether Ofcom is willing to enforce its own standards as set out in legislation. It now appears that Ofcom has abandoned any pretence that meaningful regulation of broadcast content is still being maintained.”

It comes amid concerns within the media world that Ofcom has shied away from tackling potentially politically divisive accusations of bias and misleading in recent years.

Another complainant, Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the LSE’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, accused Ofcom of a “shockingly bad decision” that had allowed “pernicious climate misinformation”.

“The interview with President Trump was filled with falsehoods, such as claiming that climate change is a hoax and that China does not have any windfarms,” he said. “This feeble decision, with no explanation offered, rather suggests that Ofcom is afraid of standing up to Trump for fear of antagonising him further.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We carefully considered complaints about this current affairs programme which featured an interview with US President Donald Trump interspersed with a studio panel discussion and other guest interviews.

“Preserving due impartiality is a cornerstone of Ofcom’s broadcasting rules and we carried out a detailed assessment of the entire programme as broadcast. While we acknowledge that President Trump’s views were not challenged during the interview itself, the surrounding panel discussion and other guest interviews offered a range of alternative perspectives which strongly challenged his position.

“Given this, we will not be pursuing complaints about this programme further.”

GB News was contacted for comment, but did not wish to do so.