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British media watchdog Ofcom has raised “serious concerns” about editorial controls at GB News after ruling that comments made by actor Lawrence Fox on air were “clearly and unambiguously misogynistic”.
Ofcom said Fox's comments about the political journalist “were insulting and insulting to both of them.” [her] and women in general,” thus violating broadcast rules designed to protect viewers from offensive content.
Fox, who is also leader of the right-wing Reclaim Party, made the comments about Ava Evans, a political correspondent for Go, on a show hosted by Dan Wootton.
GB News' broadcasting standards and commitment to presenting balanced views in its news coverage are under particular scrutiny in the run-up to the general election as a number of Conservative MPs appear on its channel.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther MacVie and Philip Davies present the programmes, while former Conservative Party deputy leader Lee Anderson and Nigel Farage also work for the channel. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson joins GB News as a presenter this year.
Ofcom is also investigating whether an hour-long question and answer session with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak broadcast on GB News last month breached the UK's broadcast neutrality rules.
After launching its own investigation into the incident with Fox, the broadcaster banned the actor from appearing on the channel and suspended Wootton. The right-leaning broadcaster also apologized for the “completely unacceptable” comments in the interview.
Ofcom's ruling on Monday includes some of the strongest language used against GB News by the watchdog. It is under pressure to take tougher action against the group, which has been the subject of multiple investigations and has been found to have broken the rules several times since it began broadcasting in 2021.
The regulator currently has around a dozen open investigations into GB News, which is backed by hedge fund boss Paul Marshall. Most of them relate to the broadcaster's alleged lack of impartiality when its programs are presented by politicians.
Ofcom, which has the power to impose fines on companies, said it had asked GB News to provide more detailed information about its compliance practices and summoned the broadcaster to its offices to discuss the breach.
The watchdog said Fox's comments represented a highly personal attack on Evans and were likely to be highly offensive to viewers.
She added that Wootton's response and limited challenge to Fox's comments not only failed to mitigate the potential for crime, but exacerbated it “by contributing to a narrative in which a woman's worth is judged by her physical appearance.”
There was no apology for these remarks during the remainder of the two-hour program.
“We have serious concerns about GB News’ editorial control over its live production,” Ofcom said in a statement.
GB News has been contacted for comment.
