Ofcom has revoked the Russian state-backed news broadcaster RT’s licence to broadcast in the UK with immediate effect.
The UK broadcasting regulator said the channel’s licensee, ANO TV Novosti, is no longer considered “fit and proper” to hold a UK broadcast licence.
RT is currently off air in the UK, as a result of sanctions imposed by the EU since the invasion of Ukraine commenced.
Ofcom there are 29 ongoing investigations into the due impartiality of RT’s news and current affairs coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We consider the volume and potentially serious nature of the issues raised within such a short period to be of great concern – especially given RT’s compliance history, which has seen the channel fined £200,000 for previous due impartiality breaches,” Ofcom said in a statement.
Ofcom has also launched a separate investigation to determine whether ANO TV Novosti is fit and proper to retain its licence to broadcast.
RT is funded by the Russian state, which has passed new laws in Russia to effectively criminalise any independent journalism that departs from the Russian state’s own news narrative, in particular in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.
These laws therefore make it impossible for RT to comply with the due impartiality rules of its Broadcasting Code, Ofcom has concluded.
“We take seriously the importance, in our democratic society, of a broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression and the audience’s right to receive information and ideas without undue interference,” Ofcom added in its statement today. “We also take seriously the importance of maintaining audiences’ trust and public confidence in the UK’s broadcasting regulatory regime.”
