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Vindication of Channel 4's Ken film

  • Posted by Martin Bright
  • 09 June 2008

The broadcast regulator has dismissed 12 complaints against the investigation by the New Statesman's Political Editor into City Hall under Ken Livingstone

I am delighted that Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, has found in favour of Channel 4 over complaints about the programme I presented on Ken Livingstone in January, The Court of Ken. The full judgement was published today and amounts to a resounding vindication of the programme and its journalism.

Press Gazette has covered the story. It quotes the most important section of the Ofcom report:

"Investigative journalism plays an essential role in public service broadcasting and is clearly in the public interest.

"Ofcom considers it of paramount importance that broadcasters, such as Channel 4, continue to explore controversial subject matter."

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3 comments from readers

AlanBrownfield
09 June 2008 at 17:52

Doesn't make it any less crap.

Snark
09 June 2008 at 19:15

Ofcom is on a bit of a roll right now, what with this and the West Midlands police farrago against Undercover Mosque.

What a shame that it falls to a quango to defend press freedom against the state itself.

redharry
09 June 2008 at 22:57

'The watchdog did not look into claims of unfair treatment of Livingstone, because it would only be able to do so if the mayor himself were to have complained.'

To call this 'a resounding vindication of the programme and its journalism' is a joke.

Notice how Bright has failed in previous posts to explain why he went on a Zionist propaganda trip financed by an arms dealer.

Read here how Bright helped his neo-con comrades at PX get into power in London.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jun/07/conservatives...

When you see the list of their extreme-right wing reactionary policies, remember that Bright has portrayed them as 'progressive' and 'centre-right'.

I think Bright's game is pretty well exposed by now.

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About the writer

Martin Bright

Martin Bright began his journalistic career writing in very simple English for a magazine aimed at French school children. This experience has informed his style ever since. He worked for the BBC World Service, and The Guardian before joining the Observer as Education Correspondent. He went on to become Home Affairs Editor before becoming the New Statesman's political editor in 2005.

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