GB News Co-Owner Accuses Ofcom of Bowing to Left-Wing Pressure

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GB News Co-Owner Accuses Ofcom of Bowing to Left-Wing Pressure

 

Sir Paul Marshall, co-owner of GB News, has accused Ofcom of yielding to pressure from Left-wing campaigners and unfairly targeting the broadcaster with an excessive number of investigations. Speaking at Oxford University, Sir Paul claimed that the regulator is acting under the influence of activist groups such as Stop Funding Hate, which have repeatedly called for action against the news channel.

 

“Understandably, Ofcom find it difficult, just like other corporate and institutional boards, to resist the pressures from Left-wing campaigning groups and this has led them to initiate many more enquiries into GB News than could be justified,” Sir Paul said in his speech. Since its launch in 2021, GB News has been found in breach of broadcasting regulations a dozen times. These infractions have ranged from concerns about misinformation to criticism over the use of politicians as on-air presenters.

 

Sir Paul, a hedge fund tycoon and media investor who also owns UnHerd and recently acquired The Spectator magazine for £100 million, insisted many of the complaints driving Ofcom’s investigations are not organic, but instead part of a broader campaign orchestrated by activist groups. Even prior to GB News going on air, the channel was subjected to an advertising boycott promoted by Stop Funding Hate. Brands including Ikea and Nivea withdrew their ads, a move that has had lingering financial consequences. However, some advertisers like Marks & Spencer have since returned to the channel.

 

Despite his criticisms, Sir Paul said GB News would continue striving for a professional relationship with the media watchdog. “They sit within a framework full of anomalies and they are steadily assailed by invective from Left-wing activists, so it is not easy for them to resist the biases of metropolitan opinion,” he remarked, suggesting that Ofcom’s current approach is shaped by the dominant political attitudes within elite circles.

 

His comments echo those made earlier this month by Angelos Frangopoulos, the GB News chief executive, who accused Ofcom of adopting a “jailer” mindset. Frangopoulos argued in The Telegraph that the regulator’s proposed restrictions on politicians presenting shows could suppress new voices in the media and undermine political diversity on screen.

 

Sir Paul also turned his criticism toward the BBC, accusing the national broadcaster of being treated more leniently despite evidence of bias. He argued that the BBC should be held to stricter standards, noting that it is currently allowed to review complaints internally before any referral to Ofcom, a process formalised by the BBC Charter and approved by Parliament.

 

He accused the BBC of “egregious bias” in its Arabic-language service and of having “failed spectacularly” in its coverage of the grooming gangs scandal. Referencing the Gary Lineker controversy, in which the Match of the Day host shared a social media post linking Zionism to a rodent cartoon, Sir Paul labelled BBC management “weak, weak, weak” and called for the institution to be broken up.

 

The BBC responded by acknowledging that Lineker made a mistake with his post, but firmly rejected any suggestion of systemic bias in its journalism.

Ofcom defended its conduct in a statement: “As an independent regulator, we enforce our rules fairly and proportionately. All regulated broadcasters must comply with Ofcom’s rules. The ‘BBC First’ process for complaints about BBC content is set out in the BBC Charter and Agreement and was approved by Parliament.”

 

In addition to his criticisms of broadcasters and regulators, Sir Paul also addressed the role of major tech platforms, calling on figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to publish their content algorithms. He argued that companies such as Meta and X (formerly Twitter) should be subjected to stricter regulation to ensure accountability for what appears on their platforms.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-05-22

 

 

[Tiger1980]

It’s well known that the British establishment is trying to close GB news down.

I personally watch BBC , Sky and GB news and while GB does like to offer an alternative point of view, in fact on most occasions they invite a participant offering a completely different point of view to their presenters the other media outlets are very restricted in what they will transmit. This is possible why GB news is the fastest growing news agency in the UK. Already overtaking Sky and even BBC on occasions.