22-05-2024, 01:25 AM
(20-05-2024, 12:40 PM)Matrix Wrote: I read the statement as more a criticism (which will hopefully now lead to a significant sanction given the repeated nature of these breaches) around not presenting the alternative case at set points. I can think, for example, of plenty of Leaders' Question type events but the presenter always put the alternative case and challenges, where appropriate, views.
My recollection of this incident was that it was more an introduction from Steve Dixon who then left Rishi for an hour with the audience and only intervened to keep the conversation on the tracks when it was interrupted by an animated audience member.
From a presentational perspective, this is hardly a good moment. In the lead up to GE coverage, the lesser of Ofcom's sanctions would seemingly be an on-air summary of the case and rebuke (all the way through to suspending or withdrawing their license), all of which hardly fills one with confidence in their coverage; interesting to see how they handle it.
Another aspect of it I recall was that Sunak was supposed to draw questions at random but refused and just demanded questions on topics he wanted, which GBNews went along with. So even if Ofcom had no issue in principle with the format, it was not the format that ended up materialising.