What powers do Ofcom have if a complaint is upheld?
Your guide to the regulatory body.
Ofcom have confirmed they are looking into complaints after Tuesday's episode of Dan Wootton Tonight, following Laurence Fox's comments about political journalist Ava Evans.
The TV watchdog confirmed on Wednesday (27th September) that they’d received “a number of complaints” after Lawrence spoke of the PoliticsJOE correspondent in widely condemned terms, describing her as "pathetic and embarrassing" to host Dan Wootton and asking: "Who'd want to shag that?"
Ofcom said in a statement: “We are assessing these complaints against our broadcast rules and will publish the outcome as quickly as possible.”
But what is Ofcom and what powers does it hold? Read on for everything you need to know.
What is Ofcom?
The Office of Communications, known as Ofcom, is the UK’s government-approved regulator for broadcasting, postal and telecommunications services.
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It was established in 2003, replacing a number of other regulatory bodies, including the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Independent Television Commission.
Ofcom licences all commercial television and radio services, including channels like the BBC, Sky GB News and Channel 4, meaning broadcasters must comply with the terms of their licence.
If broadcasters don’t comply, Ofcom can revoke licences.
What can be a breach of the Ofcom code?
The Broadcasting Code covers a range of topics that are designed to protect viewers and listeners in the UK from harmful or offensive material.
Whilst the Code acknowledges the importance of freedom of expression, it makes clear that with those rights come responsibilities.
The Code has 9 key sections, which are as follows:
- Section 1: Protecting the under-18’s
- Section 2: Harm and offence
- Section 3: Crime
- Section 4: Religion
- Section 5: Due impartiality and due accuracy
- Section 6: Elections and referendums
- Section 7: Fairness
- Section 8: Privacy
- Section 9: Commercial references in TV programming
What can Ofcom do if a complaint is upheld?
Ofcom handles complaints about individual services and particular pieces of content.
If complaints are upheld, Ofcom is able to impose sanctions on rule breakers, which can include a direction not to repeat content, a financial penalty, a direction to broadcast a correction, or even revoking a broadcaster’s licence.
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