TELL OFCOM: Fossil fuels are… real
Watch: Guest panellist Lewis Schaffer claimed on GB News that “there’s no such thing as a fossil fuel” — in a complete denial of the facts.
On 6 June 2024, Guest panellist Lewis Schaffer claimed on GB News that “there’s no such thing as a fossil fuel”, that it “doesn’t come from animal or plant life” and that “Net Zero is completely, 100% rubbish, just like COVID was”. This latter claim was not challenged at all by the host or any of the other panellists or highlighted to be an opinion as opposed to a fact.
In doing so, this program breached Ofcom rule 5.7 which forbids misrepresenting facts and requires giving views due weight. Submit your complaint to Ofcom using this form and by following the guidance below.
Programme details:
Programme title: Headliners
Date of broadcast: 6 June 2024
Time of broadcast: 23:21
Channel / station: GB News
Your complaint:
Subject: GB News’ Headliners breached Ofcom rule 5.7 which forbids misrepresenting facts and requires giving views due weight.
Description:
Here’s a few bullet points to include:
- Guest panellist Lewis Schaffer claimed on GB News that “there’s no such thing as a fossil fuel”, that it “doesn’t come from animal or plant life” and that “Net Zero is completely, 100% rubbish, just like COVID was”. This latter claim was not challenged at all by the host or any of the other panellists or highlighted to be an opinion as opposed to a fact.
- The existence of fossil fuels formed from the remains of living organisms is a scientific fact. The idea that they do not exist, or are not formed from “animal or plant life”, is a highly fringe perspective. Describing COVID-19 as “rubbish” is equally an unscientific opinion that is not rooted in fact.
- These opinions notably came from a comedian with no scientific background. As such it is particularly important that the host should have made an effort to highlight that Schaffer’s opinion on both climate and COVID-19 has no basis in established scientific fact and is instead the opinion of someone outside of mainstream science.