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LONDON: UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom revoked the license of the Chinese news network CGTN on Thursday (February 4) after concluding that the Communist Party of China had ultimate editorial responsibility for the channel.
“Our investigation showed that the China Global Television Network’s license is held by an entity that has no editorial control over its programs,” Ofcom said.
“We are unable to approve the request to transfer the license to China Global Television Network Corporation because it is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which is not allowed under UK broadcasting law.”
CGTN’s licensee is Star China Media.
“We have given the CGTN significant time to comply with the statutory rules. Those efforts have already been exhausted,” Ofcom said in a statement.
“After careful consideration, taking into account all the facts and the free speech rights of the broadcasters and the audience, we have decided that it is appropriate to revoke CGTN’s license to broadcast in the UK.”
Ofcom added that it would conclude an ongoing investigation into alleged violations by CGTN of fairness, fairness and privacy requirements “shortly.”
The English-speaking satellite broadcaster has long faced criticism for repeating the Communist Party line in its global broadcasts.
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In the United States, CGTN is one of seven Chinese media outlets that have been designated as state-sponsored actors, rather than independent media.
Beijing routinely threatens retaliation against Western countries for acting against its media operations, which have grown in sophistication and scope over the years, warning of sanctions in turn against groups like the BBC in China.
There was no immediate comment from CGTN, which opened a state-of-the-art European headquarters in London in 2019 alone.
Last July Ofcom said it was considering imposing sanctions on CGTN after confirming a complaint made by a UK citizen who said he was forced to make a criminal confession broadcast by the broadcaster.
LACK OF “CRUCIAL” INFORMATION
Peter Humphrey was jailed for more than two years by a court in Shanghai in 2014, in connection with a corruption case involving the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
After his release, he complained to Ofcom about two news reports about the case broadcast on then-CCTV, which was later renamed CGTN.
CCTV justified its reports to Ofcom on public interest grounds, arguing that it had obtained Humphrey’s consent and had no knowledge of abuse.
Humphrey accused Chinese authorities of drugging him and locking him in a chair inside a small metal cage to make a confession of illegally obtaining and using personal data.
The shows featured footage of him apparently confessing to a crime, and reported his conviction and an apology. He was identified on both but his face was blurred.
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Ofcom has the power to impose fines on UK licensed broadcasters for breaches of media rules on fairness and fairness. In general, the law states that they should not be controlled by political bodies.
Therefore, the regulator has taken the latest sanction against CGTN after finding that its controlling entities breached that requirement.
“Our investigation concluded that Star China Media Limited (SCML), the licensee of the CGTN service, did not have editorial responsibility for CGTN’s production,” it said.
“As such, SCML does not meet the legal requirement to have control over the licensed service, so it is not a legal transmission licensee.”
Additionally, Ofcom said it could not transfer the license to a replacement proposed by CGTN, called the China Global Television Network Corporation (CGTNC).
“This is because crucial information was missing from the application as we consider that CGTNC would be disqualified from having a license as it is controlled by a body that is ultimately controlled by the Communist Party of China,” the regulator said.
In 2012, Ofcom revoked the license of Press TV, the English language medium of the Iranian state broadcaster, for failing to transfer overall editorial control to London from Tehran.
