Russia Today faces FIFTEEN standards probes: Ofcom launches investigation into Kremlin TV channel over impartiality in Ukraine reports
- The move by the TV regulator relates to 15 editions of RT’s Sunday news show
- It increases the likelihood of RT losing its UK licence after the EU banned it
- Foreign Secretary warned axing RT in Britain could see the Kremlin ban the BBC
Media regulator Ofcom yesterday began 15 investigations into the ‘due impartiality’ of state-backed Russian broadcaster RT.
The move, which increases the likelihood of RT losing its UK licence, relates to 15 editions of its hourly news show aired on Sunday.
The EU has banned the channel, formerly known as Russia Today, but Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned a similar move in the UK was likely to lead to the BBC being banned in Russia.
She added: ‘We want the Russian population to hear the truth about what Putin is doing.’
Media regulator Ofcom yesterday began 15 investigations into the ‘due impartiality’ of state-backed Russian broadcaster RT
The EU has banned the channel, formerly known as Russia Today, but Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned a similar move in the UK was likely to lead to the BBC being banned in Russia
Last week Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries used a letter to Ofcom to accuse RT, previously known as Russia Today, of being ‘demonstrably part of Russia’s global disinformation campaign’
After days of speculation, Ofcom revealed it had ‘observed a significant increase’ in the number of shows on the broadcaster that ‘warrant investigation under our Broadcasting Code’.
It is understood the investigations mainly centre on reporting from correspondents on the ground – in places like the Donbas region of Ukraine – rather than the handling of stories by presenters in the studio.
RT, which has a number of British presenters and reporters, has reportedly referred to the invasion of Ukraine as a ‘special military operation’.
Ofcom said yesterday it was expecting ‘full-cooperation from RT’, adding that the investigations will be ‘expedited’ given the ‘severity and urgency of the current crisis’.
On Sunday, Boris Johnson said the channel had been ‘peddling’ content that was ‘doing a lot of damage to the truth’, and called for Ofcom to look at whether it was ‘infringing the rules of this country’.
Last week Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries used a letter to Ofcom to accuse RT, previously known as Russia Today, of being ‘demonstrably part of Russia’s global disinformation campaign’.
But yesterday Miss Truss admitted any move to ban the channel here could lead to retaliation against UK broadcasters like the BBC.
She told Parliament: ‘We are looking at what can be done on RT but the reality is that if we ban RT in the United Kingdom, that is likely to lead to channels like the BBC being banned in Russia.’
The Foreign Secretary added: ‘And what we want is we want the Russian population to hear the truth about what Vladimir Putin is doing.’
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said last night: ‘Given the serious on-going situation in Ukraine, we will be concluding our investigations into RT as a matter of urgency.’