By Emmanuel Oluebube, Bureau Chief, UK

Ofcom has  launched an investigation into cloud communications provider, Vonage. This follows an incident resulting in disruption for its business customers to emergency call services during October and November 2023, Cyber Era NG learns.

An Ofcom information, seen by our correspondent reads in part: “Our rules require providers to take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency organisations as part of any call services offered. Providers must also take appropriate and proportionate measures to identify and reduce the risks of the availability, performance or functionality of their network or service being compromised.

Additionally, providers are also required to take appropriate and proportionate measures to prevent adverse effects from any such compromise. In the event there are negative effects, they should take steps to remedy or mitigate those effects.

Providers are also required to inform Ofcom, as soon as reasonably practicable, of any security compromise that has a significant effect on the operation of a network or service.

Our investigation will seek to establish the facts surrounding the incident and examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that Vonage has failed to comply with its regulatory obligations.

Politicians acting as news presenters on GB News broke broadcasting rules

TV and on-demandNews

A series of Ofcom investigations today concluded that five programmes on GB news featuring politicians acting as news presenters broke broadcasting due impartiality rules.

Under the Broadcasting Code, news, in whatever form, must be presented with due impartiality. Additionally, a politician cannot be a newsreader, news interviewer or news reporter unless, exceptionally, there is editorial justification.

In line with the right to freedom of expression, broadcasters have editorial freedom to offer audiences a wide range of programme formats, including using politicians to present current affairs or other non-news programmes. Politicians may also appear in broadcast news content as an interviewee or any other type of guest.

Individual programmes can also feature a mix of news and non-news content and move between the two genres. If, however, a licensee chooses to use a politician as a presenter in a programme containing both news and current affairs content, it must take steps to ensure they do not act as a newsreader, news interviewer or news reporter in that programme.

What we found

After careful consideration of the facts in each case –  including forensic analysis of the content and detailed representations from GB News – we found that two episodes of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation, two episodes of Friday Morning with Esther and Phil, and one episode of Saturday Morning with Esther and Phil, broadcast during May and June 2023, failed to comply with Rules 5.1 and 5.3 of the Broadcasting Code.

All five programmes in question contained a mix of news and current affairs content. We found that host politicians acted as newsreaders, news interviewers or news reporters in sequences which clearly constituted news – including reporting breaking news events – without exceptional justification. News was, therefore, not presented with due impartiality.

Politicians have an inherently partial role in society and news content presented by them is likely to be viewed by audiences in light of that perceived bias. In our view, the use of politicians to present the news risks undermining the integrity and credibility of regulated broadcast news. We therefore considered it was necessary and proportionate to find a breach of Rules 5.1 and 5.3 in these circumstances.

We are also publishing our reasons for deciding that a sixth programme – a separate episode of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation – did not raise issues warranting investigation under these rules. This provides broadcasters with an example of what constitutes exceptional editorial justification as allowed by Rule 5.3. In the case of this live programme, Jacob Rees-Mogg was used as an eye-witness, in situ news reporter during an unforeseen security incident at Buckingham Palace.

These are the first breaches of Rules 5.1 and 5.3 recorded against GB News. Since opening these investigations, there has only been one further programme which has raised issues warranting investigation under these rules. We are clear, however, that GB News is put on notice that any repeated breaches of Rules 5.1 and 5.3 may result in the imposition of a statutory sanction.”