Ofcom, the media regulator, has recently stated that an instalment of Dan Wootton Tonight that was aired on GB News violated broadcasting regulations. The remarks made by Laurence Fox regarding Ava Evans, a female political journalist, resulted in 8,867 grievances being filed with Ofcom. Viewers deemed Fox’s comments to be sexist, misogynistic, and offensive. Ofcom maintained that the comments “constituted a highly personal attack on Ms Evans and were potentially highly offensive to viewers.”
During the live show on 26 September, the actor and politician sparked outrage after asking what “self-respecting man” would “climb into bed” with Evans. Ofcom ruled that the comments reduced Evans’ contribution to the discussion on mental health, where she was serving as a political journalist, to a judgment on whether she and women who shared their political opinions with others were sexually desirable to men. The ruling stated that the remarks were degrading and demeaning to Evans and all women.
Ofcom further argued Wootton’s response and limited challenge “did not mitigate the potential for offence” and intensified the problem by perpetuating the idea that a woman’s value was based on her physical appearance. Furthermore, after the interview with Fox, “no apology was made… nor were any other editorial techniques used to address the potential for offence.” GB News immediately suspended both hosts from the channel after the remarks were made public, stating that the comments were “totally unacceptable.”
In its closing comments, Ofcom expressed its anxiety about GB News’s editorial authority over its live programming and requested that the channel offer additional information about its compliance practices in this area. This is a developing story, and additional updates will be provided in the future
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