04/11/2023
The British television channel GB News has long been the subject of ridicule outside its tiny coterie of viewers. Quite famously, the channel, which is modelled on the US right wing network Fox News, sometimes has even smaller viewing figures in Britain than specialist broadcasters like Nigerian TV, Welsh language channel S4C and the Scottish Gaelic BBC Alba. It is certainly not the "people's channel" as it claims. LGBTQIA Newswire Pink News says "An organisation that campaigns to eradicate hate in the media has said the Laurence Fox controversy proves once and for all that GB News must radically change its ways if it wants to survive." Public revulsion at misogynistic comments made by Mr Fox has led to thousands of complaints being made to transmission regulators. GB News has since dropped several of its pundits, including the gay right winger Dan Wootton, who has been described by feminists as a "bad advert" for gay men, with his brash view of the world. Richard Wilson, representing the campaign group Stop Funding Hate, said "“It was appalling – absolutely appalling – and shocking to hear those kind of misogynistic comments being aired on GB News, but it wasn’t that surprising, unfortunately. We’ve seen over the last couple of years this pattern of GB News vilifying particular individuals. They’ve said awful things about Meghan Markle, they’ve said horrible things about Greta Thunberg, so unfortunately it fits into a pattern.” With advertisers staying away from GB News, Wilson says GB finds itself stuck in a “contradiction”. The station was set up essentially as a UK-version of Fox News, with right-wing commentators doling out divisive and sometimes offensive commentary. Now, GB News will have to decide whether it should continue on that tack and risk going under, or take a new approach entirely, concluded Pink News.
