Ofcom has got into a spat with Today presenter Nick Robinson over the channel’s rulings on GB News. Robinson complained this morning that Nigel Farage can present programmes on the channel along with Reform leader Tice and Lee Anderson MP. When someone pointed out that David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, has a show on LBC, Robinson said “he’ll be a candidate so not permitted to present during an election campaign“. Which also applies to Anderson – D’oh!
So, @Nigel_Farage – one of the founders & owners of @reformparty_uk – can present an “impartial” programme on a TV “news” channel during the general election according to the broadcasting regulator @ofcom. The leader of the party @TiceRichard & its only MP @LeeAndersonMP_ can… https://t.co/G210M6rTp3
— Nick Robinson (@bbcnickrobinson) April 24, 2024
Ofcom’s executive for broadcast regulation Cristina Nicolotti Squires has admitted anti-GB News fanatics are hell-bent on destroying the channel:
“There are some people who won’t be happy unless we shut GB News down tomorrow and that’s not the kind of country we live in. We’re not censors. Nick would be the first one to be cross if Ofcom told him how Today ought to be. We live in a country with editorial freedom and the right for broadcasters to decide how they make programmes. It’s up to them to make them impartial.”
Ofcom is yet to decide if Farage is counted as a politician, which would make his show very difficult to do according to the rules. Even ITV refers to him as an “ex-politician”…
While the BBC licence fee payers dig deep into their pockets to cover the increased fee, they can take solace knowing that their hard-earned cash is helping top-tier journalists enjoy Italian getaways. One senior BBC executive couldn’t help but boast of her swanky Italian conference she and her fellow colleagues attend on an annual basis. Cue poetic pennings of the quaint Italian city and its food…
Guido contacted the BBC to ask how many staff went and how much it cost. He got a muted response:
“The BBC is one of the most high-profile and respected international news organisations and as such, journalists are often invited to speak at international journalism events. Speakers are listed on the Perugia Festival website.”
Seven BBC staff were speakers at the event, though Jess Brammar wasn’t one of them, which suggests there were many more BBC staff than just those speakers who went to the “beautiful” town. La dolce vita…
The BBC has just announced Huw Edwards’ resignation “on medical advice”. He was taken off air last July following allegations he was paying for explicit pictures. A few months ago the Met Police wouldn’t say who is under investigation…
When there’s a new sleaze scandal every week you can forgive the BBC for getting its whipless Tories mixed up. A segment on the BBC News 1 p.m. bulletin detailing Labour’s calls for a police investigation into Mark Menzies featured a smooth montage of photos…of Will Wragg. Easy sleazy to get them confused…
Readers will remember that BBC presenter Martine Croxall was taken off air after boasting of her ‘gleeful’ reaction to Boris pulling out of the leadership race in October 2022. The BBC said at the time that “remarks and reactions… caused a significant risk the audience could believe opinions were being expressed on the Conservative leadership contest.” Croxall’s glee wasn’t long for this world, though…
When the cost-cutting BBC had 18 presenters apply for five roles in a “merger”, Croxall lost out. She was taken off air for nearly a year. Now she’s suing the corporation for discrimination. The case is listed for a central London employment tribunal on the 1st of May, where Croxall is suing for age discrimination, sex discrimination, and equal pay. Litigation solves everything…
Our friends at Unherd have done some brilliant work on how woke activists are using the cover of “disinformation” to defund mainstream right-of-centre online media. It’s not just Unherd and Guido Fawkes that are blacklisted by unaccountable ratings agencies that hoodwink advertising agencies by bracketing them as brand risks alongside Jihadi beheading websites and actual foreign intelligence disinformation operations. Popular sites like the Daily Sceptic, Breitbart, Conservative Woman, the Daily Mail and The Sun get downgraded by these self-appointed guardians of the “truth”. In the video Freddie Sayers cites examples of these ratings agencies actually promoting demonstrable disinformation.
If an online publisher questions whether Greta Thunberg is right that the world really is on the edge of imminent climate catastrophe and human extinction, these agencies – funded by taxpayers – block advertising. Speculate that perhaps the pandemic did originate in Wuhan and it will cost you financially. It is an insidious form of censorship and should not be financed to the tune of £2.6 million by taxpayers. Foreign Office funding was designed to combat hostile foreign interests subverting democracy, not the free debate that is essential for democracy.
