On the basis of the well established “fact” that all British journalism is fair and unbiased, the British media regulator Ofcom, following the banning of RT and Sputnik altogether, has opened investigations into RT. “When dealing with major matters such as the crisis in Ukraine, all Ofcom licensees must comply with the special impartiality requirements in our Code. These rules require broadcasters to take additional steps to preserve due impartiality – namely by including and giving due weight to a wide range of significant views.”
So, to maintain this pure and unbiased British press, Ofcom has opened 15 new investigations into the due impartiality of news programs on the RT news channel. “These investigations – which relate to 15 editions of the hourly News program broadcast on RT on 27 February 2022 between 05:00 and 19:00 inclusive – will be expedited, given the severity and urgency of the current crisis. We expect full cooperation from RT.” Ofcom’s Chief Executive Dame Melanie Dawes noted, with a stiff upper lip: “Given the scale and gravity of the crisis in Ukraine, audiences expect to be able to trust and rely on duly impartial broadcast news.... We take this responsibility – and our duty to protect audiences and uphold trust in news – extremely seriously. Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of our approach and fundamental to our democracy.”
