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TELL OFCOM: Don’t let GB News call a politician “mad” and a “green fanatic”

Watch: GB News guest discredits the Energy Secretary as a “green fanatic” and “mad”, while him and GB News host Jacob Rees-Mogg minimise the impact of global warming.

Read our complaint against GB News

On 31 July 2024, a GB News guest made potentially damaging comments about the Energy Secretary and his environmental policies, while he and GB News host Jacob Rees-Mogg also minimised the impact of global warming.

The guest’s comments about Ed Miliband are a violation of Ofcom rule 7.1 forbidding “unfair treatment” and the lack of opportunity to respond to such allegations violated Ofcom rule 7.11. The unbalanced framing of government policy and of the severity of global warming is a violation of Ofcom rules 5.5 and 5.7 respectively.

Submit your complaint to Ofcom using this form and by following the guidance below. 

Programme details:

Programme title: Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation
Date of broadcast: 31 July 2024
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock): 20:41
Channel / station*: GB News

Your complaint:

Subject: A GB News guest made serious allegations about the Energy Secretary and his policies without giving an opportunity to respond. Him and GB News host Jacob Rees-Mogg also minimised the impact of global warming without due weight to other views.

Description:

Here’s a few bullet points to include:

  • On 31st July, guest Mutaz Ahmed from The Telegraph made contentious claims that unfairly portrayed green policies and minimised the impact of climate change.
  • Ahmed referred to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as a “green fanatic” and “mad”, and then clarified that he was referring to Miliband’s “politics”.
  • GB News host Jacob Rees-Mogg also minimised the impact of climate change by saying, “And the world isn’t ending, is it? We’ve got a hot day today, but the world seems to be surviving this modest rise in temperature” and claimed “We’re 1% of emissions, we make no difference”. He also claimed that “a slightly warmer planet is not a complete disaster” and Ahmed claimed that “we also benefit from slightly higher temperatures”.
  • Several of these claims were challenged by fellow guest Tessa Dunlop, however the weighting of viewpoints was skewed with Rees-Mogg and Ahmed both making unfair portrayals of the Energy Secretary and energy policy. Descriptions of Miliband as a “fanatic” and “mad” are a violation of Ofcom rule 7.1 forbidding “unfair treatment” and the lack of opportunity to respond to such allegations violated Ofcom rule 7.11. The unbalanced  framing of government policy and of the severity of global warming is a violation of Ofcom rules 5.5 and 5.7 respectively. Both of which require balance and due weight to expressed viewpoints.
Deadline for complaints: August 28, 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.