As GB News hits back at the latest Ofcom ruling on the People’s Forum, the People's Channel is questioning the double standards within the media industry.
In 2019, Ofcom cleared Channel 4 over its use of an ice sculpture in place of the Conservative Party and Brexit Party leaders during a debate on the climate crisis.
The Conservative Party complained after the broadcaster declined to let former environment secretary Michael Gove be the party's representative for the debate, which was between leaders of political parties participating in the 2019 UK General Election.
The party complained Channel 4's decision to "empty chair" the Conservative Party sought to deprive it of any representation in the debate.
However, the watchdog's Election Committee decided the props used in the Channel 4 News Climate Debate were "not a representation of the Prime Minister personally", and that "little editorial focus was given to it, either visually or in references made by the presenter or debate participants".
Channel 4 said the leaders of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SNP and the co-leader of the Green Party had agreed to take part on the understanding that it was a leaders' debate.
The channel said Gove arrived unannounced at the ITN building ahead of the debate, requesting they ask the participating party leaders if he could take part instead of then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Channel 4 said they did but the party leaders declined.
In its ruling, Ofcom's Election Committee said: "Broadcasters have editorial freedom in determining the format of any election debate.
"Depending on the circumstances, they may choose to proceed without having agreed the participation of a particular political party or politician, providing they take steps to ensure the programme complies with our due impartiality and elections rules.
"In this case, the Election Committee concluded that, across the one-hour debate and a subsequent news programme, Channel 4's use of editorial techniques ensured that the Conservative's viewpoint on climate and environmental issues was adequately reflected and given due weight.
"The committee also took into account that the globe ice sculpture was not a representation of the Prime Minister personally, and little editorial focus was given to it, either visually or in references made by the presenter or debate participants.
"The committee therefore considered that this programme, including the use of the ice sculpture, did not raise issues warranting further investigation under our due impartiality and elections rules."GB News is hitting back after Ofcom ruled its first People's Forum, which allowed members of the public to question politicians directly, broke broadcasting due impartiality rules.
The regulator has threatened to punish the channel with sanctions after it said the People’s Forum: The Prime Minister programme in February lacked the “appropriately wide range of significant views” required to uphold due impartiality.
The live show gave an independently selected group of undecided voters the opportunity to challenge the Prime Minister, with questions that neither GB News nor Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saw beforehand.
Among many other challenges, audience members criticised Sunak's Government over "chronic underfunding" of social care, the housing shortage, and the betrayal of those injured by the Covid vaccine.
During the programme, presenter Stephen Dixon explained it was the "first" People's Forum, telling viewers: "We are hoping the Labour leader Keir Starmer will accept our invitation to take part in one of these People's Forums, let's hope he does."
The debate was followed by a segment hosted by Patrick Christys, during which he sought reaction from Conservative Party MP James Daly and Labour MP Rosie Duffield.
Branding the decision "baffling" on social media today, GB News presenter Tom Harwood wrote on X: "In 2019, the Tories offered Michael Gove for Channel 4's 'climate debate'.
"C4 instead no-platformed the party, replacing them with a melting ice sculpture.
"Ofcom 'decided that the programme did not raise any issues warranting further investigation.'"
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GB News today said: "We maintain that the programme was in line with the Broadcasting Code.
"Ofcom is obliged by law to uphold freedom of speech and not to interfere with the right of all news organisations to make their own editorial decisions within the law.
"Its finding today is a watershed moment that should terrify anyone who believes, as we do, that the media’s role is to give a voice to the people of the United Kingdom, especially those who all too often feel unheard or ignored by their politicians.
"We are proud to be the People’s Channel and we will never stop fighting for the right of everyone in the UK, whatever their political persuasion, to have their perspective heard."
