Two Fox News programs — “Hannity” and “Tucker Carlson Tonight” — violated Great Britain’s broadcast standards by providing biased views on important topics, according to Britain’s media watchdog.
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British media laws, unlike those in the U.S., require television presenters to provide fair and balanced reports. In the past, the Office of Communications, known as Ofcom, lightly regulated Fox News because the topics were mostly aimed at U.S. audiences, and because the channel had a minuscule following in Britain.
However, the Jan. 31 episode of “Hannity,” which covered President Trump’s ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, was particularly relevant to British viewers, Ofcom said in its report. On the day before the broadcast, thousands of people in Britain joined protests. About 1.5 million people signed a petition calling on members of Parliament to cancel a visit by Trump.
The "Hannity" segment included alternative viewpoints — video clips of public officials reacting negatively to Trump's travel ban. However, Hannity then "repeatedly dismissed or ridiculed" the people who spoke against the ban. Those lambasted by Hannity were not given "sufficient opportunity … to challenge or otherwise respond to the criticism directed at them," the Ofcom report said.
Carlson's problematic program ran May 25, in the aftermath of the Manchester terrorist attack. The episode included "highly critical statements" about Prime Minister Theresa May and Manchester police and politicians. Statements included "accusations that particular individuals and public bodies had done nothing to: counter terrorism; stop radicalization; protect citizens from terrorism; or protect 'thousands of underage girls' from rape and abuse," the report said.
Despite the fierce criticism that British authorities failed to act because they were motivated by political correctness, "there was no reflection of the views of the U.K. Government or any of the authorities or people criticized," the report said.
"The presenter [Carlson] did not challenge the views of his contributors, instead, he reinforced their views," the report said.
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