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TELL OFCOM: Get climate conspiracy theories off the TV

Watch: GB News host calls the ‘green agenda’ the ‘daddy of all hoaxes’… 

Read our complaint on GB News

On 12 May 2024, GB News host Neil Oliver made a series of inaccurate and potentially harmful statements, which referenced and repeated numerous conspiracy theories relating to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The programme failed to meet the standards of accuracy and impartiality required under Rule 5.1 of Ofcom’s regulations. In addition, Oliver’s claims have the potential to harmfully impact viewer’s decisions about their health, breaching Rule 2.1. Submit your complaint to Ofcom using this form and by following the guidance below.

Programme details:

Programme title: The Neil Oliver Show
Date of broadcast: 12 May 2024
Time of broadcast: 18:13
Channel / station: GB News

Your complaint:

Subject: GB News’s The Neil Oliver Show breached Rule 2.1 and 5.1 in making potentially harmful and inaccurate statements relating to the ‘green agenda’ and the COVID-19 pandemic

Description:

Here’s a few bullet points to include:

  • On 12 May 2024, the GB News presenter Neil Oliver made a series of incorrect statements in his opening monologue – by explicitly referencing and repeating numerous conspiracy theories related to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • In relation to climate change, Oliver said that the following posed an “existential threat”, which was now bigger than ever: “15-minute ghettos, the end of meat on our plates, the end of private ownership of cars and god knows who else.” His monologue then continued to call the “green agenda, agenda 2030” the “daddy of all hoaxes”. The magnitude of these ‘threats’ is vastly exaggerated by Oliver, and are far from being “existential” – and moreover, are not what is stated in United Nations ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ (the action plan that Oliver appears to be referencing). For these reasons, GB News broke Rule 5.1 by failing to report with due accuracy and due impartiality. 
  • In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oliver referred to this as the “scamdemic” – alleging it was “nothing more than farcical testing, a pandemic of jabs [and] while everyone was distracted”, allowed the World Health Organisation to “outright nation states”. This statement, provided without evidence, contextualisation or challenge, is both inaccurate and misleading with regards to the virus and public policies. As a result, Oliver’s claims have the potential to impact viewer’s decisions about their health, which makes the comments potentially harmful and in breach of Rule 2.1. 
Deadline for complaints: June 7, 2024 11:59 pm

Submitting a complaint to Ofcom should take you less than 10 minutes and is completed via a form on their website.

Go straight to OFCOM
Read our guide

Submitting a complaint to Ofcom should take you less than 10 minutes and is completed via a form on their website.

  • Ofcom is the UK’s public regulator for communications services. Among other responsibilities, their job is to ensure that TV channels uphold the Broadcasting Code. This code requires broadcasters to protect the public from harmful and offensive material, avoid unjust or unfair treatment of individuals and organisations, and report the news with due accuracy and impartiality.
  • Ofcom has real power to yield. Sanctions they can issue include directions not to repeat content, fines — and crucially, the power to suspend or revoke a TV channel’s licence to broadcast.
  • Ofcom must carefully consider every single complaint to see if their rules have been broken. If the complaint is strong, Ofcom will launch a formal investigation process.
  • Ofcom will not reply to each specific complaint but instead publishes records of the complaints received, investigations underway and breaches on their website, every fortnight.
  • Complaints must be about a specific breach of the code and submitted within 20 days of the program going to air.