Remember that somewhat hyperbolic, and ever-so-slightly misleading Fox News opinion piece by John Gibson?
Well because Fox News is broadcast via Sky, they get to fall under Ofcom, who have today upheld a number of complaints made about it. This in itself probably doesn’t mean a great deal. However. repeat offences could result in sanctions being taken by Ofcom including financial ones, under the Programme Code. I believe that as a last resort, they can actually pull a channel off air, in the UK at least.
The most ridiculous part of the Fox News response is that if you type “BBC Anti-American” into Google you get 47,200 hits. Ofcom responded that this is hardly sufficient evidence to back up such a statement, and in any case, doesn’t make any editorial judgement about how those words are used. Needless to say, I could quite easily set up 47,000 web pages myself containing those words. And, oh, a search for ‘anti-american “fox news”‘ on Google returns 29,300 hits.
(Incidentally the other complaint upheld against the ITV drama Wire in the Blood is slightly disturbing. We have a 9pm watershed, yet you can’t simply start stronger programming straight away at 9pm. I don’t really understand this rational. Surely if a line is to be drawn, then that’s it, and stronger programming can then be shown – particularly if a warning is made).
Ofcom Raps Fox News
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3 responses to “Ofcom Raps Fox News”
Check this out and feel your blood boil.. This was Faux News’ response:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,122709,00.html
(this link updates so you might have to dig for the story.. here’s the trascript anyway.)
The U.K. Investigates John Gibson
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
By John Gibson
“Great Britain is a country of some 60 million people, 24 of which officially complained � writing letters officially about something I said in this spot six months ago.
“That started an investigation, which is now complete and a verdict on me has been rendered by the British government.
“I’m not going to repeat what I said because basically, we like the Brits… and we really don’t want to rub salt in the wound.
“The Brits were wounded when one of their mightiest institutions � a media outlet of some considerable power � got caught fudging the truth… in fact, fudging it so far it fell into what I called the “L” word zone.
“This particular “L” word does not involve sexual orientation, but instead is a description of a person who willingly distorts the truth. You know the word. If you are called it, you get very mad.
“Anyway, they got mad because I called them this word � this horrible “L” word.
“Twenty-four out of 60 million got mad enough to write letters and launch an investigation, and now the Brit government says I expressed opinions not buttressed by the truth.
“This is not so. My opinions about this major Brit media outfit are entirely buttressed by the truth, and they know it… which is what makes them so mad.
“The Guardian newspaper in Britain now says this particular “My Word” from last January was so incendiary it “shocked many in the U.K.”
“I can’t imagine that’s accurate. I shocked many in the U.K.? How is that possible if they listen to and believe their major media outlet, which routinely trashes Americans, the American president, the American military and American policy?
“That is what is truly shocking, and I suspect that even though 24 Brits complained, the vast majority knows that all the nasty things the major media outlet says about us cannot be true.
“That’s My Word.”
Grrrrrrr
Thanks for drawing that to my attention.
Not exactly chastened by the whole thing is he? The idea that Fox News can in any way criticise the editorial integrity of the BBC is laughable in the extreme!
He’s at it again…
Proud to Be Censured by the British Government
Thursday, June 17, 2004
By John Gibson
I’ve got a bunch of Brits mad at me because I dared to defend myself for saying that a BBC reporter lied, that his bosses defended the lie and that the network displays a “frothing-at-the-mouth anti-Americanism.”
Because I dared to say it, I have been “censured by an agency of the British government.”
My attitude has been… do you get a medal with that? If there were an official “I’ve been censured” medal, I’d wear it on the air right next to my flag pin. Honest… if the palace has one of those, send it on over and I’ll wear it.
By the way, it turns out that one of the 24 complainants who busted me to the Brit officials actually worked at the BBC as an intern.
Look… censure if you must, oh mighty Great Britain. But you will not change the truth. The Beeb reporter I was speaking of lied. He didn’t distort or exaggerate � he lied.
It’s a lie that was concocted to support the BBC’s political bias, which was and is anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-American.
I said the Beeb as much, and now I’ve got Brits writing me to tell me that they’re horrified and wondering how I could say such a thing?
I listen to the BBC World Service, and I hear the anti-Americanism dripping from every elongated syllable in every story about Bush, Iraq or America.
If the Brits don’t like that observation… oh well. Read my book � “Hating America: The New World Sport.”
There is much more of this afoot in the world than just the tired old BBC, and Americans are tired of turning the other cheek.
That’s My Word.