It would probably come as no surprise that Britons DO NOT LIKE Donald Trump. In fact an official visit to the UK scheduled for later this year was delayed. Ostensibly because there would be massive anti-Trump protests; something The Donald doesn’t like.
And then there’s this:
On Thursday, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow doubled down on his view that Trump should not be allowed to address lawmakers in the historic Westminster Hall during an official visit to the United Kingdom. Trump has still not earned the right and does not deserve the honor, Bercow reportedly said at a Queen Mary University London event.
Another item:
Something most Americans are not aware of, 21st Century Fox pulled the plug on Fox News’ simulcast of the US version in the UK citing low viewership. Really? What a surprise. FYI, 21st Century owns Fox News.
Another reason for pulling the plug, Fox News is the US version and Brits don’t have that much interest in it.
But there’s something else going on over there that I find interesting as we’ll see shortly.
In the UK the television industry is way different than the US. First of all, Brits have to pay a tax for every TV they own. There aren’t as many networks as there are in the US.
The BBC, the oldest and largest TV network, is owned by the government. There’s also Sky, the largest satellite provider in the UK. Sky is privately owned. It was Sky that aired Fox News.
In addition, there’s something called Ofcom. The Office of Communications (Ofcom) is the independent regulatory body overseeing the ‘communications industry’, including the distinct areas of telecommunications and broadcasting. … Ofcom is a statutory corporation. It is required to report annually to Parliament.
Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across the television, radio, telecoms and postal sectors. It has a statutory duty to represent the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition and protecting the public from harmful or offensive material.
I like that last part,
“by promoting competition and protecting the public from harmful or offensive material.”
Ofcom is similar to our Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It is also an independent agency. And gee, remember when Trump wanted the FCC to revoke NBC’s licence because they reported something he didn’t like. Two problems, The FCC is independent and NBC is a network. It doesn’t have a broadcast licence. The nearly 200 NBC affiliates have the licences. Another fine example of what little Trump knows about the government not to mention the fact that he’s threatening NBC’s first amendment rights and freedom of the press.
Back to the UK.
Rupert Murdoch, aka 21st Century Fox and Fox News, already owns a small part of Sky. He wants to buy the 61% of Sky he doesn’t own. Ofcom has the power to OK the deal or not based on the integrity of the buyer.
Remember this from Rupert:
(Wikipedia) The News International phone-hacking scandal involved the now defunct News of the World and other British newspapers published by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories.
Then there’s the sexual harassment accusations against Roger Ailes, Fox News chief, and Bill O’Reilly, who settled a case out of court for $32m.
And now, here’s the rub.
Ofcom is not happy with Sky and Fox News. Specifically with two programs that Fox aired. (Source, The Guardian)
- An episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight on 25 May, days after the Manchester terrorist attack, accused the British government and authorities of failing to counter terrorism, stop radicalisation and protect “thousands of underage girls” from rape and abuse. It included claims that authorities failed to act because of political correctness and because they valued how people saw them over the lives of children. They were accused of forcing an “official lie” on citizens that was “totalitarian” and “wicked”. Ofcom’s ruling concluded there was “no reflection of the views of the UK government or any of the authorities or people criticised” and the presenter “did not challenge the views of his contributors; instead, he reinforced their views.”
- Ofcom said a Sean Hannity programme on 31 January included video clips of public figures reacting critically to Trump’s travel ban in an opening monologue. However, it said these views were only “briefly represented” and were “repeatedly dismissed or ridiculed by the presenter without sufficient opportunity for the contributors to challenge or otherwise respond to the criticism directed at them”. The presenter then interviewed various guests who were “prominent supporters” of the Trump administration and “highly critical” of those who did not support the order, Ofcom said. The presenter also voiced his “enthusiastic support” for the order and for Trump. Ofcom concluded its ruling by saying: “Ofcom acknowledged that viewers were likely to expect Hannity to address controversial issues from a perspective that is generally more supportive of the US Republican party. However, the likely audience expectations did not provide sufficient contextual justification to outweigh the numerous highly critical statements made about people who had opposed the order, coupled with the clear support being expressed for the policies of President Trump.”
Ofcom has the power to fine a network for violating its broadcast rules and standards. Fox breached impartiality rules covering British broadcasting. The point is moot right now because Sky pulled Fox News from its platform.
The big issue is that this could jeopardize Murdoch’s purchase of Sky. The other part, and this is the one I like the best, is that Ofcom found Fox; Carlson and Hannity of breaching impartiality rules.
Wow, there’s a surprise.
This article incorrectly stated that Trump’s UK visit was cancelled. It is corrected to say it has been delayed.