Ofcom, the UK media regulator, is facing calls to investigate a GB News interview with US President Donald Trump after complaints that it contained misleading and inaccurate claims that went unchallenged. The interview, aired in November, was promoted as a 'world exclusive sit-down interview' with Trump.
During the interview, Trump asserted that human-induced climate change is 'a hoax' and claimed that London has no-go areas for police and operates under 'sharia law'. These statements, along with other claims about law and order and immigration, were either left unchallenged or effectively endorsed by the interviewer, Bev Turner, according to critics.
Chris Banatvala, Ofcom's founding director of standards, described the interview as 'unprecedented' for a UK broadcaster. He stated: 'While this style of interview – with no challenge and a presenter effectively feeding lines – may be the norm for Newsmax and Fox News, I’ve never seen anything comparable on a UK-established domestic broadcaster.'
Ofcom has received at least three detailed complaints co-signed by tens of thousands of people, but has not yet decided whether to launch a formal investigation. The complaints cite rules that broadcasters must not 'materially mislead the audience' and must maintain due impartiality.
Bob Ward from the LSE's Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment submitted a complaint focusing on Trump's climate claims. He said: 'The GB News interview with President Trump was the most blatant example of a British media organisation collaborating with the Trump administration to undermine British democracy with this misinformation.'
An Ofcom spokesperson said: 'We are assessing the complaints against our rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.' The regulator faces accusations of reluctance to intervene on politically sensitive issues of impartiality.
