Ofcom Reverses Course on Climate Denial Complaints
In a significant policy shift, the UK's broadcasting regulator Ofcom has announced it will investigate complaints regarding climate change denial on television and radio broadcasts. This marks the first time such investigations will occur since 2017, representing a notable victory for environmental campaigners who have long accused the regulator of permitting broadcasters to disseminate what they term "dangerous climate lies."
Background of the Complaints
The decision follows numerous complaints about programmes aired on TalkTV and TalkRadio, which Ofcom initially assessed but chose not to investigate. This pattern mirrored the outcome of over 1,000 other climate-related complaints submitted since 2020. However, after receiving a formal letter from the Good Law Project in January requesting clarification on these rejections, Ofcom has withdrawn its original stance and committed to re-evaluating the complaints with fresh scrutiny.
Specific instances cited include a Talk guest in November claiming climate change was "a deliberate effort to create fake anxiety ... out of something that is false." Another guest in the same month criticised Labour's energy policies as "suicidal," driven by "pseudoscience," and likened them to "a kind of cultish behaviour."
Regulatory Reassessment
Upon reassessment, Ofcom concluded that its approach to enforcing "due impartiality" in these broadcasts required reconsideration. The regulator has now opened investigations to determine whether the programmes breached rules on impartiality and material misleadingness. Results of these investigations will be published in due course, though Ofcom has maintained its decision not to investigate three other climate-related complaints.
A spokesperson for the Good Law Project stated: "Rightwing channels have been allowed to spout dangerous climate lies, unchecked, for too long. We're glad Ofcom is finally listening and await the conclusion of the investigations. Should it fail to take action against Talk's misinformation, we will not hesitate to hold them to account."
Historical Context and Comparisons
Since January 2020, Ofcom's searchable database records 1,221 complaints related to the climate crisis, with none resulting in a ruling that the broadcasting code was breached. Only two such breaches have been identified in the past two decades: one in 2007 and another in 2017. Recent examples not investigated include broadcasts describing global heating as "the climate scam" and suggesting the UK government might introduce "enforced veganism."
In contrast, France's regulator Arcom has found four broadcasting code breaches related to climate issues in the last two years, including fining rightwing channel CNews €20,000 for a segment claiming climate change was "a lie, a scam."
Criticism and Calls for Reform
Critics argue that Ofcom's handling of climate misinformation has been inadequate. A spokesperson for Stop Funding Heat, which filed the initial complaints against TalkTV and TalkRadio, remarked: "Ofcom's multiple U-turns suggest that even the regulator lacks confidence in its ability to get it right. Its painfully slow approach highlights how ill-equipped it is to deal with the scale of climate misinformation now flooding our media. Parliament must urgently step up its scrutiny and press for a robust shake-up to make this dysfunctional body fit for the 21st century."
Ofcom's broadcasting code mandates that factual programmes "must not materially mislead the audience" and that news must be reported with "due accuracy and presented with due impartiality." Additionally, when presenters express personal views on controversial political or public policy matters, alternative viewpoints must be adequately represented.
The regulator has also initiated another climate-related investigation following a viewer complaint about a separate TalkTV programme. A Talk spokesperson confirmed: "We, as we always would, will cooperate with Ofcom in these matters."
