Media regulator Ofcom has been accused of covering up data showing that GB News is more trusted by its viewers than the BBC is trusted by its own viewers. The Telegraph has the story.
The watchdog’s latest news consumption survey found that GB News viewers score the channel more highly for trustworthiness than viewers of the BBC, Sky News, ITV and Channel 4 score those channels.
GB News was also ranked by its viewers above all other British broadcasters for the range of viewpoints on offer and scored first equal with Sky for impartiality.
Ofcom has in previous years published these figures alongside a press release summarising its main findings.
However, the regulator omitted the figures from this year’s survey, which was published last week. It released them online following a request from GB News.
The oversight has prompted accusations that Ofcom deliberately sought to suppress the true scale of GB News’s popularity among viewers.
A GB News spokesman said: “These figures prove why GB News is Britain’s undisputed number one news channel.
“Our viewers and listeners trust us to provide them with news, and our bold and fearless journalism is connecting with communities everywhere.”
An Ofcom spokesman said: “An administrative error led to a short delay in publishing the underlying data for this year’s report, which we corrected as soon as we became aware.
“More broadly, not all of the vast amounts of data we produce can be included in the main report, which focused on our key findings.”
It comes at a critical time for broadcasters as they grapple with the shift to streaming and a tidal wave of often unreliable information circulating online.
In June, the Government set out proposals to require social media apps such as YouTube, Facebook and X to prominently feature material from “trusted” news providers.
But Ministers have failed to explain how broadcasters or newspapers would qualify as a trusted news source, triggering concerns that the Government could ultimately influence where people get their news from.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to the Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
14 Comments
Newest
OldestMost Voted
Alec in France
19 days ago
70% think that “the BBC is accurate”?
Proves that the jabs are still working!
justinErtia
20 days ago
How absurd it will be if the new “trusted source” implementation imagined for social media does not take into account who the public trusts for it’s news, but instead is selected by administrative fiat from among the sources least trusted by the public.
Another Orwellian missive fitting of the Ministry of Truth.
The problem for me is that I do not trust any so-called “trusted news” source.
happycake78
20 days ago
Ofcom pushing an agenda shocking!!
MajorMajor
20 days ago
I’m at the stage where if the BBC says that water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, I reach for a chemistry book.
Hey, if they don’t know the difference between a man and a woman, how can I trust them to get other things right?
They are busy plotting with their Far Left friends in government how to circumvent the licence fee. GB News – a trusted source – talked about the idea of charging you £11 a month via your broadband fee. That follows other ideas such as adding it to council tax which could possibly backfire spectacularly if people opted to deduct it from payments.
Jack the dog
20 days ago
What’s the betting that GB News won’t be counted as a “trusted source”?
JohnK
20 days ago
And “Government could ultimately influence where people get their news from.” isn’t a new idea; just a shift in technology. Ask the T editor about that, or the other printed press people.
JohnK
20 days ago
Ofcom suppressing advertising, perhaps? Didn’t GBN have some financial difficulties on account of that effect?
The Conservative Woman (TCW) was badly affected by it’s labelling as indeed are Off-Guardian and UK Column News and of course many others. What they all have in common is that they are NOT purveyors of trusted news. In other words they are proper news sources.
Thank you for reading. Please help us keep the Daily Sceptic going by becoming a donor.
Discussion
Comments
This week across the site:
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to the Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
70% think that “the BBC is accurate”?
Proves that the jabs are still working!
How absurd it will be if the new “trusted source” implementation imagined for social media does not take into account who the public trusts for it’s news, but instead is selected by administrative fiat from among the sources least trusted by the public.
Another Orwellian missive fitting of the Ministry of Truth.
Exactly.
The problem for me is that I do not trust any so-called “trusted news” source.
Ofcom pushing an agenda shocking!!
I’m at the stage where if the BBC says that water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, I reach for a chemistry book.
Hey, if they don’t know the difference between a man and a woman, how can I trust them to get other things right?
They also seem to think that there are over 100 genders.
For the BBC, an organisation that is supposed to be impartial, a result in the low 50’s clearly shows it is failing. Wonder if they’re worried at all?
I imagine the champagne has arrived at Beeb Central that so many people still believe the pulp they churn out.
They are busy plotting with their Far Left friends in government how to circumvent the licence fee. GB News – a trusted source – talked about the idea of charging you £11 a month via your broadband fee. That follows other ideas such as adding it to council tax which could possibly backfire spectacularly if people opted to deduct it from payments.
What’s the betting that GB News won’t be counted as a “trusted source”?
And “Government could ultimately influence where people get their news from.” isn’t a new idea; just a shift in technology. Ask the T editor about that, or the other printed press people.
Ofcom suppressing advertising, perhaps? Didn’t GBN have some financial difficulties on account of that effect?
Not sure it’s ofcom per se but communist pressure groups like Hate Not Hope.
Yes.
The Conservative Woman (TCW) was badly affected by it’s labelling as indeed are Off-Guardian and UK Column News and of course many others. What they all have in common is that they are NOT purveyors of trusted news. In other words they are proper news sources.