LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s media regulator opened seven investigations into Russian news channel RT, saying it had found an increase in programmes which may have breached impartiality rules since a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy last month.

Vehicles of Russian state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today (RT) are seen at Red Square in central Moscow, Russia March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo

The poisoning, which Britain blamed on Russia, prompted the biggest Western expulsions of diplomats since the height of the Cold War. Russia has denied any involvement and suggested Britain carried out the attack to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.

Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britain’s foreign spy service, was found slumped unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury along with his daughter Yulia on March 4.

After British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia of being behind the poisoning, Britain’s media regulator Ofcom warned that RT producer TV Novosti could lose its right to broadcast in Britain if it failed its “fit and proper” test.

“Since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code,” Ofcom said.

Russia has warned that every British media outlet, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, will be kicked out if Britain shuts down RT, a channel launched in 2005 and financed by the Russian state to project what it says is a Russian viewpoint on major global events.

“Clouds are gathering over the BBC,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Interfax news agency after the Ofcom investigations were announced. A spokesman for the BBC declined to comment.

Ofcom is investigating seven RT programmes for breaching impartiality on both the Skripal affair and events in Syria.

But Ofcom, which is independent of the government, also said there was a high threshold for finding that a broadcaster was not fit to hold a licence. Previously, it has revoked licences for hardcore pornography and material that could incite terrorist crimes.

“Until recently, TV Novosti’s overall compliance record has not been materially out of line with other broadcasters,” Ofcom said.

Amid claim and counter-claim over the first known offensive use of such a nerve agent on European soil since World War Two, both sides have accused media organisations in each country of spreading government lies about the affair.

“Our editorial approach has not changed since the events in Salisbury, and we will be directly addressing this matter with the regulator,” Anna Belkina, a spokeswoman for RT, said by email.

“We are pleased to see that Ofcom has acknowledged RT’s compliance record has been in line with other broadcasters – putting to bed any of the salacious political statements and challenges made against our channel,” Belkina said.

Russian officials say RT is a way for Moscow to compete with the dominance of global media companies based in the United States and Britain, which they say offer a particular view of the world.

FILE PHOTO: The Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko can be seen in a television camera viewfinder as he addresses the media at a news conference in the official Russian Ambassador's residence in central London, Britain, April 5, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo

Critics say RT, which broadcasts news in English, Arabic and Spanish, is the propaganda arm of the Russian state whose aim is to undermine confidence in Western institutions.

The Russian embassy in London issued a statement later on Wednesday, denouncing he Ofcom probe.

“This targeted scrutiny, directed at one particular news organization and regarding one particular issue, amounts to pressure against this specific broadcaster,” it said. “This increased scrutiny is sure to affect press freedom in Britain, which causes major concern.”</s>The British TV regulator Ofcom has announced seven new investigations into the Russia Today network due to impartiality concerns, citing the Russian state broadcaster's coverage of the recent spy poisoning case in Salisbury.

There's been widespread criticism of the way RT has operated its news channel Britain for several years, with politicians recently hitting out at the way its reported the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter last month.

On Wednesday, Ofcom said coverage from some of RT's programmes warranted seven new investigations into whether the licencee holder, TV Novosti, is "fit and proper" to continue operating in Britain.

"Until recently, TV Novosti’s overall compliance record had not been materially out of line with other broadcasters," Ofcom said in a statement. "However, since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that we consider warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code."

Ofcom said Russia Today's average audience was just 3,400 viewers, with the news channel reaching just over 1% of the British audience in a week.

However the regulator said RT programmes like "Worlds Apart", "Crosstalk", and "Sputnik", would now be investigated for possible impartiality breaches.

In a statement which appears in an RT.com article about the new Ofcom investigations, Russia Today accused the watchdog of "conflating" its role as watchdog with matters of state.

“We disagree with the position taken by Ofcom; our broadcasting has in no way changed this week, from any other week and continues to adhere to all standards,” read the statement.



"By linking RT to unrelated matters, Ofcom is conflating its role as a broadcasting regulator with matters of state.

"RT remains a valuable voice in the UK news landscape, covering vital yet neglected stories and voices, including those of the many MPs and other UK public figures who have been shut out of public discourse by the mainstream media.”</s>Broadcast watchdog Ofcom today revealed it has launched seven new probes into programmes broadcast by RT.

It warned the number of programmes on RT that potentially breach rules have increased 'significantly' since the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Findings against RT could lead to Ofcom withdrawing the channel's licence to broadcast Britain in the UK on the basis of a 'fit and proper' test.

RT is widely derided as a propaganda station acting as a mouthpiece for the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin in the United Kingdom.

Most British politicians now boycott the channel but ex-SNP First Minister Alex Salmond still has a show on the channel and Labour MP Chris Williamson appeared earlier this month.

British-Russian relations were plunged into a deep freeze by the nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal and collapsed further following a chemical weapon strike in Syria.

Ofcom said its new investigations form part of an Ofcom update into the licences held by TV Novosti, the company that broadcasts RT, formerly Russia Today.

It said: 'Until recently, TV Novosti's overall compliance record has not been materially out of line with other broadcasters.

'However, since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

'We will announce the outcome of these investigations as soon as possible.

'In relation to our fit and proper duty, we will consider all relevant new evidence, including the outcome of these investigations and the future conduct of the licensee.'

The new investigations come security experts warned Russia is targeting millions of laptops and phones in UK homes in preparation for a cyber attack on Britain's 'critical infrastructure'.

They added that once access has been gained, Moscow backed agents could hide undiscovered until they decide to attack.

It comes amid reports that Russia is preparing to mount a cyber-strike on Britain's energy networks, armed forces and emergency services, in retaliation for the Syria air strikes, the GCHQ and FBI have warned.

The government has been probing the cyber-defences to identify vulnerabilities that could 'potentially lay a foundation for future offensive operations', UK and US authorities revealed in a joint statement.</s>Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has opened seven new investigations, following the Salisbury poisoning case, into a Kremlin-backed TV channel.

The regulator said that it was investigating “the due impartiality of news and current affairs programmes on the RT news channel”, formerly Russia Today.

It said that since the Salisbury poisoning case, it has “observed a significant increase in the number of programmes” on the channel that should be investigated.

“Until recently, TV Novosti’s overall compliance record has not been materially out of line with other broadcasters,” Ofcom said of the company that broadcasts RT.

“However, since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

“We will announce the outcome of these investigations as soon as possible,” it said.

The broadcasts all relate to the Salisbury incident or the chemical weapons attack in Syria and subsequent military action.

Two of the investigations are into a programme called Sputnik, hosted by George Galloway.

Ofcom previously announced it would consider whether the TV channel should broadcast in the UK if Russian involvement was proven in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

And MPs voiced concern in the House of Commons about the Russian news channel.

The regulator previously said it had written to RT to explain that evidence of unlawful state interference would affect whether it was deemed “fit and proper” to hold a broadcasting licence.

Prime Minister Theresa May previously faced repeated calls for the Government to take action against RT in the Commons.

Labour former minister Chris Bryant said: “Can we just stop Russia Today just broadcasting its propaganda in this country?”

Labour MP Stephen Doughty added: “On Russia Today, can I urge the Prime Minister to speak with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to look at reviewing Russia Today’s broadcasting licence, and to speak to the House authorities about blocking their broadcasts in this building itself.

“Why should we be watching their propaganda in this Parliament?”

The investigations form part of an Ofcom update, published on Wednesday, into the licences held by TV Novosti.

The regulator said: “In relation to our fit and proper duty, we will consider all relevant new evidence, including the outcome of these investigations and the future conduct of the licensee.”</s>The investigations form part of an Ofcom update into the licences held by TV Novosti, the company that broadcasts RT, formerly Russia Today.

"Until recently, TV Novosti's overall compliance record has not been materially out of line with other broadcasters," Ofcom said.

"However, since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

"We will announce the outcome of these investigations as soon as possible. In relation to our fit and proper duty, we will consider all relevant new evidence, including the outcome of these investigations and the future conduct of the licensee."</s>The media watchdog has launched a wave of investigations into Russian TV channel RT following the Salisbury attack.

Ofcom announced it was launching seven separate probes today in the wake of the nerve agent poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

The regulator said in a statement: "Since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that we consider warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

"In relation to our fit and proper duty, we will consider all relevant new evidence, including the outcome of these investigations and the future conduct of the licensee."

Kremlin-backed RT was formerly known as Russia Today and exists to broadcast news in Europe with a "Russian perspective".

Ofcom says RT is "controlled" by the Kremlin.

There was a huge row following the attack over Labour MPs' decision to appear on RT.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said he would no longer appear on the station and there would be a discussion on whether others in the party should follow suit.

"I think that is right now and that is what I will be doing. What we are seeing from Russia Today sometimes goes beyond objective journalism from what I've seen," he said.

"I have been looking overnight at some of what's happening in terms of the change in coverage on Russian television in particular.

"And I think we have to step back now."

But Jeremy Corbyn ally and Labour MP Chris Williamson has continued to appear on the station, using an interview to say Tories were using Salisbury as a "smokescreen".

He also went on RT in the wake of the more recent chemical attack on the town of Douma in Syria.

The US, UK and France launched airstrikes after blaming the attack on the town of Douma on President Assad and his Russian backers.

But appearing on RT, Mr Williamson claimed that was based on "social media reports and hearsay".

Ofcom's seven investigations are into the programmes Sputnik (2), Crosstalk (2), news (2) and Worlds Apart with Oksana Boyko (1).

The programmes were all aired between March 17 and April 16.

In its report today Ofcom says TV Novosti, which holds the licence to broadcast RT in the UK, is "is financed by the Russian Federation."

Ofcom adds: "We consider that TV Novosti is therefore ultimately controlled by the Russian Federation."</s>Ofcom has opened seven new investigations into the due impartiality of Russian-backed television network RT following its coverage in the wake of the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

The UK’s communications watchdog said that, since the events in Salisbury, there has been a “significant increase” in the number of programmes on the RT service that “warrant investigation” as potential breaches of the Ofcom broadcasting code.

The programmes on RT, formerly known as Russia Today, which is owned by TV Novosti, include a show hosted by former MP George Galloway.

Ofcom said in its report that, as TV Novosti is financed by the Russian Federation, it considers the organisation to be “ultimately controlled” by the Kremlin.

Ofcom said that, until recently, TV Novosti’s “overall compliance record has not been materially out of line with other broadcasters”.

But this had changed after former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned last month with Novichok, a military grade nerve agent developed by Russia.

The Government has said that its analysis by military experts at Porton Down laboratory showed they were affected by Novichok.

Last week the international chemical weapons watchdog backed Britain’s findings on the type of chemical used in the attack, but the Kremlin disputes the claims.

We have today opened seven new investigations into the due impartiality of RT news and current affairs programmes. In accordance with our normal procedures, we will make the outcome of these investigations public as soon as possible. Until recently, TV Novosti’s overall compliance record had not been materially out of line with other broadcasters. However, since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that we consider warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. In relation to our fit and proper duty, we will consider all relevant new evidence, including the outcome of these investigations and the future conduct of the licensee.

The following programmes are under investigation:</s>"We have today opened seven new investigations into the due impartiality of RT news and current affairs programmes. In accordance with our normal procedures, we will make the outcome of these investigations public as soon as possible… However, since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that we consider warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code," the Ofcom statement read.

The regulator Ofcom has informed that RT producer TV Novosti could lose its right to broadcast in the UK if it failed its "fit and proper" test.

READ MORE: RT Chief Editor Says Audience Growing Despite Pressure

In March, UK Prime Minister Theresa May noted that the future of RT channel's broadcasting in the country should be determined by "independent Ofcom" rather than by the UK cabinet amid calls for RT's license withdrawal in the country in the light of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal's poisoning in Salisbury.

The Skripals were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center on March 5, after an alleged nerve agent attack, the UK police stated that both people were "in a critical condition in intensive care."

The UK has blamed Russia for the incident and expelled Russian diplomats from the country. Several countries have followed the move.

Russia has denied any involvement in Skripal's poisoning. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, no facts demonstrating Russia's involvement in the incident have been provided by the UK side.</s>BRITISH BROADCASTING WATCHDOG Ofcom has launched seven investigations into the impartiality of news and current affairs programmes on the RT news channel, in the wake of the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Ofcom said that, until recently, RT producer TV Novosti’s overall compliance record had not been out of line with other broadcasters.

However, it said that “since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programmes on the RT service that we consider warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code”.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that Russia was “highly likely” to be behind the attack on 4 March, which saw the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

However, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted that “Russia is not guilty”.

Yulia Skripal has since been discharged from hospital while Sergei Skripal, 66, remains in hospital, though he is no longer in a critical condition.

On 12 March, following the use of a nerve agent in Salisbury, Ofcom said that it would consider the implications of these events for the broadcast licences for RT and RT Europe.

Russia has previously said that it will ban all British media from its country if UK authorities banned the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster as a result of the Salisbury attack.

In its statement today, Ofcom said: “We will announce the outcome of these investigations as soon as possible. In relation to our fit and proper duty, we will consider all new evidence, including the outcome of these investigations and the future conduct of the licence.”</s>Britain's media watchdog has started probing whether Russian news channel RT broke impartiality rules in its programs after a former Russian double agent and his daughter were poisoned in the English city of Salisbury last month.

Media regulator Ofcom warned on April 18 that TV Novosti, the company which produces RT, could lose its British broadcasting rights if it failed its "fit-and-proper" test.

"Until recently, TV Novosti's overall compliance record has not been materially out of line with other broadcasters," Ofcom said in a statement on April 18.

"However, since the events in Salisbury, we have observed a significant increase in the number of programs on the RT service that warrant investigation as potential breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

"Ofcom has today opened seven new investigations into the due impartiality of news and current affairs programs on the RT news channel," the regulator said.

 

 Britain blames Russia for the March 4 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal with a nerve agent -- a charge that Moscow denies.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has warned that British media outlets will be forced to close Russian operations if Britain expels RT, which used to be known as Russia Today.

Reuters quoted a spokeswoman for state-supported RT as saying that the channel's "editorial approach has not changed since the events in Salisbury, and we will be directly addressing this matter with the regulator."

"We are pleased to see that Ofcom has acknowledged RT’s compliance record has been in line with other broadcasters," Anna Belkina said in an e-mail, according to Reuters.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
UK media regulator Ofcom launches investigations into RT over possible breaches of impartiality rules in its coverage of the poisoning. Ofcom warns producer TV Novosti it may be forced to cease UK broadcasting.