British telecommunications regulator Ofcom has sent a formal warning to news and commentary channel Talk TV urging producers to curb the airing of potentially-offensive material on television.
The warning comes after Ofcom received more than 17,000 viewer complaints following an interview conducted by Julia Hartley-Brewer in which she scolded a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for interrupting her.
“Maybe you’re not used to women talking, I don’t know, but I’d like to finish the sentence,” Hartley-Brewer curtly told Dr. Mustafa Barghouti during the January 3 interview aired on Talk TV. She concluded the Interview by saying, “sorry to have been a woman speaking to you, but there you are.”
Ofcom said many of the complaints appeared to be “motivated by Dr. Barghouti’s religion or ethnicity,” and that it wouldn’t take formal action against the broadcaster because of the “brevity of the remarks and audience expectations of this presenter and program.”
Instead, Talk TV has been warned to “take greater care to ensure that potentially highly offensive comments are justified by the context in order to comply with the Broadcasting Code.”
Talk TV is in the process of winding down its traditional broadcast operation in favor of online-only distribution of its shows.
Talk TV is one of two British news and commentary channels to come under fire over the past year. The other, GB News, has faced numerous Ofcom actions over programs aired on its channel, including those by sitting members of parliament.
The country’s Broadcast Code prohibits active politicians from serving in a dual role as a news presenter or television journalist, with the rule intended to ensure viewers are not confused between objective reporting and political rhetoric.
GB News and Talk TV are some of the first British channels to use current and former politicians as program hosts, something that was rarely seen on television in the United Kingdom until recently, and a strategy that is thought to mirror American channels like Fox News and Newsmax.
In 2005, Ofcom imposed new restrictions that didn’t entirely forbid politicians from hosting programs, but did try to make the line between opinion shows and news a bit clearer.
