Ofcom weighs GB News sanction | Freedom of speech crisis | Assange can bring appeal
Plus: Al Jazeera's Gaza journalist criticises western peers for not doing enough to enter the strip and CNN's Christiane Amanpour questions impartiality
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Tuesday, 21 May.
For journalists working in the UK and US it is worth pausing to reflect on today's Global Expression Report.
It reveals that more than half the world's population now do not have freedom of expression.
The exposure of the infected blood scandal is an example of the dividend that freedom of expression pays, of journalism that has saved lives and helped to secure justice for victims (even if it has taken 40 years). The scandal was first exposed by Mail on Sunday reporter Sue Douglas in 1983 with the front-page story: "Hospitals using killer blood".
Doctors complained to regulator the Press Council that the story put lives at risk by needlessly causing alarm, and Douglas feared that she could lose her job.
"How do you stop a government lying?" one victim of the scandal asked Douglas.
"I would say you stop a government lying by publishing a story in the Mail, then another story and another and another, until nobody believes government lies any more", wrote Douglas.
The treatment of Julian Assange is one factor in the UK ranking only 33rd in the Global Expression Report. Yesterday Assange was granted permission to appeal against his extradition to the United States. But five years on from his US government indictment on espionage charges, the process has become the punishment for Assange.
Yesterday Ofcom said it was considering a statutory sanction against GB News for repeated code breaches. The broadcaster could face a fine or even the loss of its licence to broadcast. The hair that broke the camel's back was an hour-long Q&A with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in which he was given a "mostly uncontested platform". This follows multiple concerns raised by Ofcom about serving MPs being employed as presenters on the channel.
We also have our final reports from last week's Sir Harry Evans Summit: CNN's Christiane Amanpour and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness had conflicting views on impartiality and Al Jazeera's Youmna El Sayed said international journalists have not tried hard enough to enter the Gaza Strip.
New from Press Gazette
Ofcom weighs up sanction for GB News after ‘serious and repeated’ impartiality breaches
GB News responded that the ruling “is a watershed moment that should terrify anyone who believes, as we do, that the media’s role is to give a voice to the people of the United Kingdom, especially those who all too often feel unheard or ignored by their politicians”.
More than half world without freedom of expression as India falls into ‘crisis’, report
This is higher than during any time in the current century and up from 34% of people in 2022 – driven largely by the fall of India, the world’s most populous country, into the “crisis” category in 2023.
Julian Assange wins bid to bring appeal against extradition
Assange can appeal on grounds of freedom of speech and potential prejudice owing to his nationality.
Al Jazeera Gaza correspondent accuses international journalists of not doing enough
“They [international media] have used the excuse of ‘lack of information’ or ‘not enough Western journalists entering the Gaza strip’ for not covering the war like they should.”
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour: ‘We are not impartial…we should be truthful’
“What if World War Two was about to explode – would we say we’re impartial to the Nazis’ desire to overrun the world? No, we are not impartial, and we should not be, we should be objective and truthful.”
News in brief
Matt Chorley is leaving The Times and Times Radio after more than eight years to join BBC Radio 5 Live ahead of the next general election. The news came a day after it was revealed Andrew Neil will join Times Radio, which is billing itself as the “Election Station”, in September. (Press Gazette)
Separately, speaking on the Today programme this morning Neil — a former GB News host turned forthright critic — said Ofcom has "chosen to die in the wrong ditch" by considering a statutory sanction against GB News over its Rishi Sunak “People’s Forum”, which he thought had been “a decent enough attempt from a new broadcaster to do a public affairs programme". (Press Gazette)
The repeal of Section 40 within the Media Bill is expected to be discussed in the Lords tomorrow. (Read more on Section 40 here.) The likes of the News Media Association, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists say it was "incompatible with the principles of free speech. Never again must the UK go down this dangerous road". (NMA)
Apple has "closed in on" an agreement with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to integrate the chatbot into the next iPhone operating system, Bloomberg reports.
Asked about the introduction of AI-generated search result summaries into Google Search, the tech giant’s chief executive Sundar Pichai has told The Verge: "when you give the context, it also exposes people to jumping-off points... [publishers] get higher clickthrough rates than if you put it outside of AI Overviews". Pichai would not say whether Google will release the data demonstrating this, however. (The Verge)
ITV's Good Morning Britain has been rapped by Ofcom after a news report about floods in Libya used footage from Japan. ITV blamed the lack of verification on "a breakdown in communication during a shift handover between the day team and overnight team". (Ofcom)
Ofcom has not upheld complaints made by Onlyfans about a BBC Newsnight report on the platform's safety measures. The regulator said the BBC gave Onlyfans an "appropriate and timely opportunity" to respond so it had not been unfair. (Ofcom)
The NHS blood scandal was first revealed in 1983 by the Mail on Sunday, writes reporter Sue Douglas. She has said she will never reveal the name of her whistleblower and has revealed how Mail titles resisted bullying and threats to keep reporting. (Mail+)
The fraud trial of Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson began in New York yesterday. His lawyer has claimed in court filings that Ozy simply carried out the same "puffing and bluffing" as other digital media companies like Buzzfeed and Vice. (The New York Times)
Vox, which turned 10 years old last month, says it is adding a new $5 a month (or $50 a year) membership scheme that will serve subscribers with content including newsletters, a digital magazine and live video interviews. (CNN)
Marking two years since the Financial Times agreed to voluntarily recognise its US union — and the ongoing failure to agree an inaugural contract — the union has invited chief executive John Ridding to the bargaining table, saying the lack of an agreement means the FT has lost reporters to rivals "who will pay them what they're worth". Press Gazette wrote about the FT’s dispute with its US staff in March. (FT US Guild)
News Corp has launched a campaign across its titles in Australia seeking to ban under-16s from accessing social media. “Let Them Be Kids” links the explosion of children's mental health issues to use of Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook. (Herald Sun)
Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long has expressed concern over allegations of police surveillance of journalists in Northern Ireland and said: "Journalism is not a crime and a free press is critical to having a free society". (PA Media)
Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the inspiration for Martha in Netflix's Baby Reindeer, has said she has "made clear that I am not physically able to cope with relentless harassment from journalists and, if this continues, I will make a report to the police". (Evening Standard)
Last week on Press Gazette
ITV Post Office drama led to ‘sea change’ in coverage of infected blood scandal
New merged Independent Media brand trumpets female and LGBTQ audience
Relaunched Q magazine shut down in same week Loaded revival goes live
Emily Maitlis: Journalists who think they lead conversation around Trump ‘kidding’ themselves
Future plc returns to growth in Q2 in latest sign publishers are turning corner
National press ABCs: Circulation of the i above Sunday Express for first time
Latest podcast
Podcast 71: Daily Mail CEO Rich Caccappolo on keeping journalism free
This episode includes excerpts from an interview between Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford and Rich Caccappolo, CEO of Daily Mail publisher DMG Media. It also features media consultant Matthew Scott Goldstein. They talk about how to save journalism (and democracy) on the open web by adapting to Google’s plan to switch off cookies on Chrome.
Caccappolo also provides an update on DMG Media’s legal action against Google and reveals how his company is growing overall revenue in a tough market.
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