Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 7:05 pm Post subject: George Galloway TV show rapped for bias
George Galloway TV show rapped for bias
By Sherna Noah, PA
22 November 2010
A phone-in TV programme presented by former MP George Galloway has been criticised by the broadcasting watchdog for breaching impartiality rules. Ofcom investigated after Mr Galloway's weekly, one-hour English-language programme, Comment, broadcast on the Iranian international news network Press TV, sparked complaints that it was biased against Israel. The regulator concluded that "due impartiality" had not been maintained in individual programmes or across the series.
It said: "The broadcaster failed to engage or debate with any point of view that was contrary to the view presented by George Galloway. Rather, Ofcom is of the view that George Galloway, in particular, used the alternative opinions made by the viewers, which were contrary to his own, only as vehicles to punctuate what could be classed as a form of ongoing political polemic, delivered by the presenter directly to camera and unchallenged." It added: "Alternative viewpoints were not adequately represented in the individual programmes or across the series as a whole."
Press TV, which is funded by the Iranian government, pointed to six examples from four separate programmes in which alternative viewpoints were presented but Ofcom said the views were "dismissed" by Mr Galloway.
This is not the first time the programme has been criticised by Ofcom. In June last year, the watchdog ruled that Mr Galloway breached rules on impartiality after he accused the Israeli government of using "a Nazi tactic", conducting a "brutal apartheid-style occupation" and committing "war crimes" in various editions of his discussion programmes.
Iran's Press TV loses UK licence Ofcom revokes English-language channel's licence for breaching the broadcasting code
Mark Sweney
20 January 2012
guardian.co.uk
Press TV, the Iranian state broadcaster's English-language outlet, has been forced off the air in the UK after Ofcom revoked its licence for breaching the broadcasting code. The controversial broadcaster had been threatened with being banned from broadcasting in the UK last year, after the channel aired an interview with Maziar Bahari, an imprisoned Newsweek journalist, that had been conducted under duress. However, after hearing final submissions the media regulator decided to issue a fine of £100,000.
It emerged on Friday that Press TV has failed to meet the deadline for paying the fine, which was due in early January. Ofcom said Press TV had been "unwilling and unable" to pay the fine and that it was "pursuing this".
In addition, Ofcom has found that Press TV's practice of running its editorial oversight from Tehran, Iran's capital, is in breach of broadcasting licence rules in the UK. "Ofcom has decided to revoke the licence held by Press TV Limited with immediate effect," the media regulator said in a statement.
Ofcom wrote a letter to Press TV in November highlighting the issue and offered a choice of two remedies under its UK broadcasting code. The first was to switch editorial control for Press TV's programming to the UK, the second to transfer the broadcasting licence to Iran. "Broadcasting rules require that a licence is held by the person who is in general control of the TV service: that is, the person that chooses the programmes to be shown in the service and organises the programme schedule," said the regulator. "Ofcom gave Press TV the opportunity to apply to have its operations in Tehran correctly licensed by Ofcom and Ofcom offered to assist it to do so," said the regulator.
Ofcom said Press TV failed to respond to or implement either of these two options. "Press TV was given the opportunity to make representations on Ofcom's 'minded to revoke' letter," the regulator said. "Press TV has failed to make the necessary application and Ofcom has therefore revoked Press TV's licence to broadcast in the UK." Ofcom has contacted BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster that carries the Press TV channel, to have it removed from its broadcast schedule. Press TV is expected to be removed from the Sky satellite service by the end of Friday.
George Galloway, the former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, is Press TV's best-known UK presenter. Galloway has previously been sanctioned by Ofcom for anti-Israeli bias in one of his Press TV shows. Galloway, who infamously performed as a cat on Celebrity Big Brother, tweeted: "Champions of liberty the British govt have now taken Press TV off Sky. "Follow us at www.presstv.ir and other platforms." Other regular contributors include Yvonne Ridley, the former Sunday Express journalist kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, who subsequently converted to Islam.
Former Press TV presenters include Ken Livingstone, the Labour London mayoral candidate, and Lauren Booth, sister of Cherie Blair.
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I've been hearing GG talk about this over the last while, but there was never a mention of the fine at all.
The guy who was interviewed in jail, which lead to the £100k fine for Press TV, is on the BBC World Service now. I'll try and get the audio uploaded later.
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