GB News is currently the subject of either 11 or 12 further Ofcom investigations. Ofcom says GB news is not impartial, but how can that be true?

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

It is abundantly clear that the establishment will do all it can to shut down anybody who challenges its control of the media narrative, as OFCOM’s continual vendetta against GB News shows:

If OFCOM are finding GBN guilt of breaching impartiality rules, why have they failed to take any action against the BBC over the years, who often breach the same rules.

Take, for instance, Roger Harrabin’s campaign against the Cumbria coalmine a couple of years ago.

When the controversy over the mine was at its height in early 2021, Harrabin wrote four articles over the space of a month, all grossly biased against the proposed mine. Below is an excerpt of my complaint to the BBC at the time:

6^th Jan – Whitehaven coal mine: Govt refuses to call in plans

Harrabin provides his analysis, which is wholly anti mine.

14^th Jan – Govt defends Cumbria coal mine green light

This quotes at length Greenpeace and CPRE, both heavily critical of the mine. The only pro mine comment is one solitary unattributed sentence at the end.

23^rd Jan – Six questions about the Cumbria coal controversy

Virtually all of this article is devoted to anti mine comments by Islands at Risk, the Fiji ambassador, Oxfam, Greenpeace, the Labour, Lib Dems and Green parties and the Committee on Climate Change.

The only pro mine comment comes from the local MP

30^th Jan – Minister rapped for allowing Cumbria coal mine

This article is wholly anti mine, quoting at length Lord Deben and Greenpeace . There is not one pro mine comment.

Throughout this series, I can find no mention by Harrabin at all of the economic benefits of the mine, eg number of jobs created, boost to the local /national economy, increased government revenue, balance of payments, or by how much emissions will be reduced by avoiding imported coke.

Nor have there been any comments at all by the local council (who approved the mine unanimously), the mining company, the local community, steel companies or economists.

This is a gross dereliction of the BBC’s Charter, which requires impartial news coverage and the need to provide audiences with the full facts.

This series of propaganda pieces culminated with this article devoted to a letter to the government from the US climate activist James Hansen – note the prejudicial headline:

The leading climate scientist James Hansen has warned Boris Johnson that he risks “humiliation“ over plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria.

The UK government, which hosts a climate summit this year, has allowed the mine at Whitehaven to go ahead.

Dr Hansen, formerly Nasa’s leading global warming researcher, urged the PM to halt production – or be “vilified”.

In his letter, Dr Hansen – whose testimony before the US Senate helped raise wider awareness of global warming back in 1988 – writes: “In leading the [climate conference], you have a chance to change the course of our climate trajectory, earning the UK and yourself historic accolades.

“Or you can stick with business-almost-as-usual and be vilified around the world.

“It would be easy to achieve this latter ignominy and humiliation – just continue with the plan to open a new coal mine in Cumbria in contemptuous disregard of the future of young people and nature.

“The contrary path is not so easy, but, with your leadership, it is realistic.”

The letter continues: “Prime Minister Johnson, young people are fed up – and for good reason. They demand that political leaders follow the science and take the actions needed to preserve and restore a healthy climate.

If this [conference] is like the prior ones – with soothing words and worthless ambitions – they will be justifiably outraged.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55923731

There was no attempt by Harrabin to challenge Hansen’s views. Nor were any alternative views offered. In other words, everything GBN was guilty of applied equally to Harrabin.

Naturally the BBC’s in house Executive Complaints Unit rejected my complaint. And OFCOM did not even respond when I referred it to them.

This was just one complaint. You could write a book about all the other instances of BBC bias.

So much for even handed justice!