The Tories and Channel 4

[James Hammerton]

After the PM declined to appear on the climate debate and Channel 4
refused to let Michael Gove appear in his place, the Tories have lodged
a complaint with Ofcom claiming that Channel 4 have breached the rules
on impartiality/providing fair coverage:
https://www.scribd.com/document/437383864/Conservative-Ofcom-complaint-channel-4
(via Guido:
https://order-order.com/2019/11/28/read-full-tories-channel-4-bias-complaint-ofcom/)

Buzzfeed further claims that a Conservative source stated:

“If we are re-elected we will have to review Channel 4’s Public
Services Broadcasting obligations,” the source said. “Broadcasting
organisations are rightly held to a higher standard — and particularly
Channel 4 which has a special role enshrined in legislation. Any
review would of course look at whether its remit should be better
focused so it is serving the public in the best way possible.”

Are we now to expect court cases and/or threats to alter licences from
the Tories any time they dislike the coverage they've received from a
broadcaster?

Regards,

James

[Pancho]

Post by James Hammerton
After the PM declined to appear on the climate debate and Channel 4
refused to let Michael Gove appear in his place, the Tories have lodged
a complaint with Ofcom claiming that Channel 4 have breached the rules
https://www.scribd.com/document/437383864/Conservative-Ofcom-complaint-channel-4
https://order-order.com/2019/11/28/read-full-tories-channel-4-bias-complaint-ofcom/)
  “If we are re-elected we will have to review Channel 4’s Public
  Services Broadcasting obligations,” the source said. “Broadcasting
  organisations are rightly held to a higher standard — and particularly
  Channel 4 which has a special role enshrined in legislation. Any
  review would of course look at whether its remit should be better
  focused so it is serving the public in the best way possible.”
Are we now to expect court cases and/or threats to alter licences from
the Tories any time they dislike the coverage they've received from a
broadcaster?

No, but I think they are well within their rights in this case.

Public service broadcasters should provide fair coverage. I do not see
that such TV stations should have the right to dictate which
spokesperson a party chooses to present their ideas in an election.

It seems pretty simple to me, instead of reporting the news, C4 choose
to become the news.

[Joe]

On Sat, 30 Nov 2019 18:21:18 +0000

Post by Pancho
It seems pretty simple to me, instead of reporting the news, C4
choose to become the news.

A couple of years ago:

The hosts of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' commented on President Trump's
efforts to "undermine the media." Co-host Mika Brzezinski commented
Wednesday morning that she is upset to see President Trump has moved in
on the media's turf when it comes to the area of mind control.

"He is trying to undermine the media and trying to make up his own
facts," she said about Trump. "And it could be that while unemployment
and the economy worsens, he could have undermined the messaging so much
that he can actually control exactly what people think."

"And that, that is our job," she noted, referring to the media.

[JNugent]

Post by Pancho

Post by James Hammerton
After the PM declined to appear on the climate debate and Channel 4
refused to let Michael Gove appear in his place, the Tories have
lodged a complaint with Ofcom claiming that Channel 4 have breached
https://www.scribd.com/document/437383864/Conservative-Ofcom-complaint-channel-4
https://order-order.com/2019/11/28/read-full-tories-channel-4-bias-complaint-ofcom/)
   “If we are re-elected we will have to review Channel 4’s Public
   Services Broadcasting obligations,” the source said. “Broadcasting
   organisations are rightly held to a higher standard — and particularly
   Channel 4 which has a special role enshrined in legislation. Any
   review would of course look at whether its remit should be better
   focused so it is serving the public in the best way possible.”
Are we now to expect court cases and/or threats to alter licences from
the Tories any time they dislike the coverage they've received from a
broadcaster?

No, but I think they are well within their rights in this case.
Public service broadcasters should provide fair coverage. I do not see
that such TV stations should have the right to dictate which
spokesperson a party chooses to present their ideas in an election.
It seems pretty simple to me, instead of reporting the news, C4 choose
to become the news.

Exactly so.

And there has to be a consequence.

[JNugent]

Post by James Hammerton
After the PM declined to appear on the climate debate and Channel 4
refused to let Michael Gove appear in his place, the Tories have lodged
a complaint with Ofcom claiming that Channel 4 have breached the rules
https://www.scribd.com/document/437383864/Conservative-Ofcom-complaint-channel-4
https://order-order.com/2019/11/28/read-full-tories-channel-4-bias-complaint-ofcom/)
  “If we are re-elected we will have to review Channel 4’s Public
  Services Broadcasting obligations,” the source said. “Broadcasting
  organisations are rightly held to a higher standard — and particularly
  Channel 4 which has a special role enshrined in legislation. Any
  review would of course look at whether its remit should be better
  focused so it is serving the public in the best way possible.”
Are we now to expect court cases and/or threats to alter licences from
the Tories any time they dislike the coverage they've received from a
broadcaster?

The ITN Channel 4 news programme is horrifically biased to the left. The
people who make it wouldn't even deny that. And that is very clearly a
breach of its obligations.

It is, in any case, about time that Channel Four was de-nationalised and
turned into a straightforward independent television channel like
ITV/SMG/UTV and Channel 5.

I recall that Phil Redmond (at the time the head of Mersey Television)
offered to buy C4 and to "gladly" take on any reasonable public service
remit. He was turned down flat by the government of the day (Blair /
Brown). Although Redmond was pretty well-known as a lefty, it seems to
me to be a safe bet that he would have complied in full with a public
service requirement, including a requirement for news and current
affairs to be run honestly and without bias (and it can be done - the
BBC used to manage it before about 1964).



<https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/mersey-tvs-phil-redmond-makes-offer-buy-channel-4/228069>

[The Marquis Saint Evremonde]

Post by James Hammerton
After the PM declined to appear on the climate debate and Channel 4
refused to let Michael Gove appear in his place, the Tories have lodged
a complaint with Ofcom claiming that Channel 4 have breached the rules
https://www.scribd.com/document/437383864/Conservative-Ofcom-complaint-c
https://order-order.com/2019/11/28/read-full-tories-channel-4-bias-compl
aint-ofcom/)
“If we are re-elected we will have to review Channel 4’s Public
Services Broadcasting obligations,” the source said. “Broadcasting
organisations are rightly held to a higher standard — and particularly
Channel 4 which has a special role enshrined in legislation. Any
review would of course look at whether its remit should be better
focused so it is serving the public in the best way possible.”
Are we now to expect court cases and/or threats to alter licences from
the Tories any time they dislike the coverage they've received from a
broadcaster?

Before asking the question, one would have to examine the provenance of
the statement "Buzzfeed further claims that a Conservative source
stated: If we are re-elected we will have to review Channel 4’s Public
Services Broadcasting obligations... blah blah". There would be no point
in wasting time discussing a claim that could be pure invention.

Anyway, even if accurately quoted it doesn't say anything about
"altering licences".