Michael Grade, the former chair of Ofcom, has defended GB News against accusations of partiality, claiming that other broadcasters are 'embarrassed' by the channel's focus on issues important to the majority of the public. Grade, who recently retook the Conservative whip in the House of Lords after stepping down from the media regulator, said GB News covers topics such as immigration and Brexit that he believes are underreported by the BBC.
Grade told Politics Home: 'I honestly think they’re embarrassed by the fact that there is a news organisation that has a different news agenda to them, that speaks to the agenda of the majority – if you look at the polls, a large swathe of the voting population, who have no voice on the BBC.' He argued that the same impartiality rules apply to GB News as to the BBC, Sky, and ITN, and that editorial choices do not make a broadcaster wrong.
However, his remarks have drawn criticism. Chris Banatvala, Ofcom's former director of standards, disputed Grade's understanding of the broadcasting code, saying that impartiality cannot be achieved with 'a sentence in a script'. He added: 'No one seriously argues that GB News’s editorial agenda is itself the problem. The evidence is now clear: Ofcom is not applying the same regulatory standards to GB News as other news services.'
GB News has faced multiple complaints over its coverage, including an interview with Donald Trump that went unchallenged on claims about climate change and immigration. Ofcom has since launched an investigation into a repeat broadcast of that interview. A GB News spokesperson said the channel is 'Britain’s No 1 news channel' and that it serves the people, not the 'media establishment elite'.
Professor Steven Barnett of the University of Westminster said Grade 'appears to have rewritten the law on impartiality' and expressed hope that Ofcom under its new chairman would regulate GB News as parliament intended.
