Britain’s media regulator Ofcom has announced 15 separate investigations into the impartiality of RT, the Kremlin-backed network which continues to be broadcast in the UK.
The watchdog said it would probe 15 editions of the hourly news programme on the state-controlled channel – formerly known as Russia Today – broadcast on 27 February.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, said regulator would conclude investigations into RT’s coverage of the Ukraine invasion “as a matter of urgency”.
It comes as foreign secretary Liz Truss warned that a complete ban on the Russian news channel in the UK could lead to a reciprocal ban by Moscow against the BBC and other British channels.
Facing calls to “shut down” RT, Ms Truss said: “We are looking at what can be done on RT, but the reality is that if we ban RT in the UK, that is likely to lead to channels like the BBC being banned in Russia.”
The foreign secretary added: “And what we want is we want the Russian population to hear the truth about what Vladimir Putin is doing. So there’s a very careful judgment to be made, and that is something the culture secretary is looking at.”
Ministers have accused RT of being a tool of a Kremlin “disinformation” campaign, and culture secretary Nadine Dorries asked the UK media regulator to examine whether some action was needed last week.
In a response letter, Ofcom told Ms Dorries that the regulator had “already stepped up our oversight of coverage of these events by broadcasters in the UK”.
On Sunday, Boris Johnson appeared to go further, criticising RT for “peddling” material that is “doing a lot of damage to the truth” and calling for Ofcom to look at if the channel was “infringing the rules of this country”.
When it was put to him that it sounded like he would ban RT if he had the power to do so, Mr Johnson said: “Yes, but the difference between us and Russia is that the power is not with me, and that’s the right thing.”
In her statement on Monday, Dame Melanie said: “When reporting on an armed conflict, we recognise it can be difficult for broadcasters to verify information and events, but it is imperative that they make every effort to do so.”
The Ofcom chief added: “They must also explain clearly to audiences where there is uncertainty or where events are disputed.”
However, she also noted that a “fair and free media is central to Ofcom’s work”, adding: “Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of our approach and fundamental to our democracy.”
In 2019, Ofcom fined RT £200,000 for its failure to observe “due impartiality” in seven news and current affairs programmes, including its coverage of the war in Syria and the Salisbury nerve agent attack.
RT has also suggested Ofcom would need to look at the BBC too if the regulator is to take it to task over “state sponsorship”.
