GB News Interview With Naomi Wolf Deemed ‘Potentially Harmful’ By UK Media Regulator

Ofcom sanctioned channel for second time over breach of rules

Naomi Wolf in an undated file photo. (Ruilian Song/The Epoch Times)

GB News has been sanctioned by Ofcom for the second time after the UK’s media regulator found that an interview with Naomi Wolf on the “Mark Steyn” show breached broadcasting rules.

On Tuesday, an Ofcom investigation into the “Mark Steyn” programme, which first aired on GB News on Oct. 4, 2022, ruled Wolf’s “comments had the potential to impact viewers’ decisions about their health and were therefore potentially harmful.”

“GB News did not take adequate steps to protect viewers from this content, so we have found the channel in breach of the Broadcasting Code,” it added.

During the interview, Wolf made claims about the COVID-19 vaccine, including that its rollout amounted to “mass murder” and was comparable to the actions of “doctors in pre-Nazi Germany.”

Ofcom received 422 complaints that alleged these comments were “dangerous” and included “misinformation” that went “unopposed.”

“In light of this, we are requesting that GB News attends a meeting with Ofcom to discuss its approach to compliance,” it wrote.

The Ofcom (Office of Communication) logo on the front of their headquarters in London, on Jan. 18, 2007. (Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)

‘A Hero’

Wolf told The Epoch Times by email that she was “appalled,” rejected Ofcom’s findings, stood by her claims, and said that Mark Steyn was “a hero.”

The widely published journalist and bestselling author of books such as “The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women” and “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” is the co-founder of the DailyClout website.

“As a journalist, I am appalled that Ofcom censured me for primary source evidence directly from Pfizer’s own documents released under court order, presented in reports compiled by 3,500 medical and scientific experts, including oncologists, radiologists, medical fraud investigators, RNs, biological scientists, and a range of other physicians and clinicians,” she said.

She has been critical of vaccine passports, lockdowns, and media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has reported on mRNA vaccines’ impact on fertility and women’s reproductive health.

“Ofcom should not penalise reporters or news platforms for presenting the truth, especially if that truth is of grave public significance,” she added.

“Of course, I will consult my attorney to take action against this damaging censorship and this baseless reputational attack, which is the second one from a national government (the first was from our own White House and CDC) in relation to this important story,” said Wolf, referring to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last year, Wolf told EpochTV’s “American Thought Leaders” that “a handful of bad actors” including the Chinese Communist Party, Big Tech, and the World Economic Forum used the pandemic to “exploit the crisis in such a way as to reengineer our free democratic open societies, especially in the West, especially in the United States, into a post-free society, a post-humane society.”

Mark Steyn told The Epoch Times by email that he believes “Ofcom is exceeding its statutory authority in a way none of its predecessor entities—the IBA, the Radio Authority, etc.—ever did.

“It has become a kangaroo court, micromanaging UK media coverage on critical aspects of public policy in ways that deeply damage free and open discourse in a land that was once the crucible of liberty,” he said.

“I am already taking Ofcom to court over their previous decision, and we will add this to the charge sheet,” he added.

‘Misleading Interpretation’

A GB News spokeswoman told The Epoch Times by email that it accepted the ruling and would not be challenging it.

“We take Ofcom compliance seriously and we also take freedom of speech seriously. The balance between these two is not always clear cut and presents vital issues for our democracy,” she said.

She said that the Communications Act of 2003 and the Ofcom Code which stemmed from it were not “framed with channels like ours in mind, nor did they fully envisage the current mix of news and opinion in broadcast, or indeed the online and social media world.”

“We welcome the opportunity to meet Ofcom and to work with them in ensuring that our legal freedoms to speak freely are robustly protected, while remaining aligned with some of the best journalism and broadcasting standards in the world,” she added.

It is the second time that the news channel, which features presenters such as Calvin Robinson, Lawrence Fox, and Andrew Doyle, has been found in breach of broadcasting rules.

In March, Ofcom ruled that a “Mark Steyn” show, which aired on GB News on April 21 last year, “presented a materially misleading interpretation of official data without sufficient challenge or counterweight, risking harm to viewers.”

Steyn was a presenter at the channel, but he left in February amid a dispute over contract terms he claimed could have made him personally liable for Ofcom fines.

In its ruling (pdf), Ofcom said that the programme’s presentation of UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data and the way it used the data to draw conclusions “materially misled the audience.”

It had received four complaints about comments made by the presenter that, the complainants said, drew “dangerous” and “fatally flawed conclusions” from UKHSA statistics.

‘Careful Assessment’

Ofcom said that to date, GB News has received 4,560 complaints. Of these 1,714 were related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After careful assessment, the majority of complaints made against GB News have not been pursued,” wrote Ofcom.

Ofcom added it is currently investigating whether a GB News episode of “Saturday Morning with Esther and Philip,” featuring husband and wife duo Esther McVey and Philip Davies, both serving Conservative MPs, broke rules requiring news and current affairs to be presented with due impartiality.

In March 2020, the regulator issued a Note to Broadcasters (pdf), reminding them it “will consider any breach arising from harmful Coronavirus-related programming to be potentially serious and will consider taking appropriate regulatory action, which could include the imposition of a statutory sanction.”