TELL OFCOM: Climate change isn’t ‘a bunch of lies’
Watch: GB News guest shares a range of conspiratorial accusations, which deny the proven existence of climate change.
On 14 June 2024, Lewis Schaffer on GB News’ Headliners described climate change as “a bunch of lies … It’s a big lie.” This conspiratorial accusation, which denies the proven existence of climate change, is misleading and was also not counterbalanced by anyone on the show affirming the existence of climate change in response.
In doing so, this GB News segment violated Ofcom rules 5.1 and 5.7, which require due impartiality and views being given due weight over appropriate timeframes. Submit your complaint to Ofcom using this form and by following the guidance below.
Programme details:
Programme title: Headliners
Date of broadcast: 14 June 2024
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock): 23:11
Channel / station*: GB News
Your complaint:
Subject: GB News’ Headliners breached Ofcom rules 5.1 and 5.7 by platforming inaccurate information, misrepresenting facts and misleading viewers about climate science, while not providing context or opposing views.
Description:
Here’s a few bullet points to include:
- On 14 June 2024, Lewis Schaffer on GB News’ Headliners described climate change as “a bunch of lies … It’s a big lie. What the powers want to do, they want you to not believe that it’s a lie, but they want to lie to you and get away with it. And that’s how they humiliate us. Climate change is a lie”.
- Ofcom rule 5.1 requires that “News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy”. Climate change is an established fact that has been proven by scientists across the globe, and so to describe it as a “lie” is a highly contentious accusation without basis in fact. This represents a breach of Ofcom rule 5.1’s requirement of due accuracy and Ofcom rule 5.7’s requirement of not misrepresenting “facts”. To accuse “the powers”, here presumably the UK Government and other governments internationally, of deliberately misleading the public about “climate change” in order to “humiliate us” is also concerning and warrants investigation.
- This conspiratorial accusation, which denies the proven existence of climate change, is misleading and was also not counterbalanced by anyone on the show affirming the existence of climate change in response. Schaffer’s claims were not even described as ‘opinion’ or similar and were instead allowed to be expressed without challenge. This represents a violation of Ofcom rules 5.1 and 5.7, which require “due impartiality” and views being given “due weight over appropriate timeframes”.