The Office of Communications (Ofcom), the Government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom (U.K), has revoked the license of China Global Television Network (CGTN) in the United Kingdom (U.K.).
Ofcom said that Star China Media Limited (SCML), which owns the licence, does not have editorial responsibility over the English-language satellite news channel. This means, it does not meet the legal requirement of having control over the licensed service. Ofcom accused SCML of acting as the distributor, rather than the provider of the news channel.
Ofcom also rejected the proposal by CGTN to transfer the license to a new entity after finding that it would ultimately still be controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
Speaking on the occasion, the Ofcom Spokesperson said, “We’ve provided CGTN with numerous opportunities to come into compliance, but it has not done so. We now consider it appropriate to withdraw the license for CGTN to broadcast in the UK.”
The channel will be removed from U.K. airwaves with immediate effect. However, CGTN has the right to request a judicial review and can also apply for another license in the future.
Taking it to twitter, Ofcom tweeted, “We have revoked China Global Television Network’s (CGTN) licence to broadcast in the UK, after our investigation concluded that the licence was wrongfully held by Star China Media Ltd. (SCML).”
Reacting to Ofcom’s decision, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson – Hua Chunying tweeted, “@Ofcom’s decision to revoke CGTN’s license is purely out of ideological bias and political motives, instead of facts. We urge the #UK to correct its mistake. #China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights & interests of the Chinese media.”
In response to Ofcom’s move, Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news channel of promoting fake news during its Coronavirus (COVID-19) reporting. China said that BBC politicised the pandemic and rehashed theories about covering up by China.
The Deputy Director of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department – Zhao Lijian tweeted, “China government account BBC shall not become Bad-mouthing Broadcasting Corporation. BBC broadcast a video of an anti-terrorism exercise as news of “violent law enforcement and human rights violations” by China’s epidemic prevention authorities. This is a typical fake news with ideological bias.”
Ofcom had previously ruled that CGTN had breached impartiality standards with its coverage of protests in Hong Kong. Ofcom said that CGTN overemphasized the positions of Government authorities in Hong Kong and China without exploring the views or motivations of protesters.
The Ofcom investigation on CGTN also found that CCTV News, which was renamed as CGTN in 2016, violated its rules in broadcasts covering the arrest of corporate investigator Peter Humphrey in China. The broadcasts in 2013 and 2014 included footage of Humphrey appearing to confess to a criminal offense that Ofcom said, “had the potential materially and adversely to affect viewers’ perception of him”, without giving Humphrey enough time to respond.
Besides, Ofcom is also undertaking 3 other fairness and privacy investigations about content which CGTN broadcasts.
However, CGTN maintains it provides global audiences with accurate and timely news coverage as well as rich audio-visual services, promoting communication and understanding between China and the world, and enhancing cultural exchanges and mutual trust between China and other countries.
