Michael Grade, the former chair of Ofcom, has claimed that mainstream broadcasters are “embarrassed” by GB News because it covers the “agenda of the majority”. Speaking to Politics Home after stepping down from the media watchdog, Grade said the rightwing channel gives a voice to issues such as immigration and Brexit that are neglected by the BBC.
Grade, who has retaken the Conservative whip in the House of Lords, dismissed impartiality concerns, arguing that the same rules apply to GB News as to the BBC, Sky and ITN. He said editorial choices do not make a broadcaster wrong, and that GB News has “got better and better”.
His comments drew criticism from Chris Banatvala, Ofcom’s founding director of standards, who said Grade was wrong to suggest impartiality could be achieved with “a sentence in a script”. Banatvala argued that Ofcom is not applying the same regulatory standards to GB News as to other news services.
GB News defended itself, saying it serves the people of the nation rather than the “media establishment elite”. The channel has faced repeated accusations of partial coverage, and Ofcom is investigating a show that repeated an interview with Donald Trump after complaints about unchallenged claims.
