Impartiality in United Kingdom broadcasting

Abstract

ABSTRACT Television service providers in the UK are required to preserve due impartiality as respects all matters of political or industrial controversy and matters relating to current public policy. In RT v Ofcom, in a judicial review of the regulator’s decisions that the Russian owned television station RT had breached the rules, the Court of Appeal upheld the regulator’s application of the rules and rejected claims that it should have taken account of the balancing effect of a ‘dominant media narrative’ and of RT’s other programming. The court also rejected the claim that the enforcement of the impartiality regime was an infringement of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, holding that the regulator's action was necessary in a democratic society in the interests of the protection of the rights of members of that democratic society in general and the viewers of RT in particular. This comment discusses the case and its implications.