RT ‘extremely disappointed’ in UK media watchdog’s decisions over ‘impartiality breach’

RT is “extremely disappointed” following British broadcasting regulator Ofcom’s announcement that some content on the RT news network was in breach of impartiality rules.

In a bulletin issued December 20, Ofcom stated that a total of seven programmes or segments, including Sputnik, Crosstalk and various items of news coverage were found to be in breach of UK regulator rules. Most of these investigations were sparked by Ofcom itself, without viewer complaints.

When initiating the first set of investigations, Ofcom connected them to events in Salisbury, UK, which had no ostensible connection to the news broadcaster. Of a total of 10 investigations launched in spring 2018, 7 resulted in “breach” findings, while 3 broadcasts were found not to be in breach of the code.

“RT is extremely disappointed by Ofcom's conclusions in what were almost all self-initiated investigations into RT by the regulator.”

“We operate under rules outlined by the regulator, and always strive to abide by them. It appears Ofcom has failed to fully take on board what we said in response to its investigations and, in particular, has not paid due regard to the rights of a broadcaster and the audience.”

“We are reviewing the findings Ofcom has put forward and will decide shortly the nature of our next steps.”

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