Fox’s misogynistic GB News remark broke Ofcom rules
LAURENCE FOX’S misogynistic on-air comments about a political correspondent on a GB News show broke Ofcom rules, the media watchdog has ruled.
The former actor, 45, asked “Who would want to shag that?” about Ava Evans, a female journalist during Dan Wootton Tonight on Sept 26.
Fox, the leader of the Reclaim Party, and presenter Wootton, who both later apologised, were suspended by the channel after the broadcast, which received 8,867 complaints. Fox was later sacked by GB News.
An Ofcom investigation has now concluded that the episode “broke broadcasting rules designed to protect viewers from offensive content”.
In a ruling, the watchdog said Fox’s comments “constituted a highly personal attack on Ms Evans and were potentially highly offensive to viewers”.
It added: “They reduced her contribution to a broadcast discussion on mental health – in her professional capacity as a political journalist – to a judgment on whether she, or women like her, who publicly expressed their political opinions, were sexually desirable to men.”
The media watchdog also found that Wootton’s reaction and “limited challenge” in response “did not mitigate the potential for offence”.
“Rather, they exacerbated it by contributing to the narrative in which a woman’s value was judged by her physical appearance.”
Wootton was suspended by the channel for allowing Fox to make the remarks unchallenged and for failing to apologise to viewers or the journalist in question during the programme.
A third presenter, Rev Calvin Robinson, was also suspended after making comments in support of Wootton and criticising the management of GB News.
Fox later apologised to Ms Evans, who works for the Politics Joe website, saying his remarks were “demeaning”.
There are 13 open Ofcom investigations into GB News after the watchdog announced on Jan 17 that it was launching a further investigation into Nigel Farage’s programme on the channel.
An Ofcom spokesman said: “We are investigating whether this programme broke our rules requiring news and current affairs to be presented with due impartiality, and preventing politicians from acting as news presenters.”
Other open investigations include two into Jacob Rees Mogg’s State of the Nation programme under Ofcom’s due impartiality rules and three into the Esther Mcvey and Philip Davies morning show.