About The Pond
No targeted mental health support for flood-hit farmers
... I m always optimistic, my wife says, but when I went up our farm road towards the river on Saturday morning I got as far as The Pond and I just stopped and cried because I didn t know what to do...
Kylie Minogue announces Las Vegas residency
... While Minogue hopes that the show will bring international visitors, British fans unable to make the trip across The Pond will be able to see her in 2024 when she embarks on her arena Tension tour...
Obamas' chef Tafari Campbell dies in paddleboarding accident
... " Another paddleboarder was on The Pond with him at the time and observed him go under the water, " it added...
Renovation of Cavers Castle held up by great crested newts
... However, it deferred a decision to get a " handle on the full population" of newts in The Pond...
Ofcom urged to toughen rules for politicians presenting on news TV
... " He said the tenor of programme on some channels in the UK " is something that s come across The Pond from America"...
Scientists pick up shock waves from colliding galaxies
... This is akin to a continuous stream of pebbles being thrown into The Pond...
Eurovision 2023: Five times the US wowed Eurovision
... Kalomira - Greece (2008)It must have been a strong Eurovision year for the US in 2008, as Greece s entry, Secret Combination by Kalomira, also had input from across The Pond...
Hannah Waddingham: From Ted Lasso to a Eurovision Song Contest star
... " I had to jump over to the other side of The Pond in order to get recognised...
Ofcom urged to toughen rules for politicians presenting on news TV
By Joshua NevettBBC Politics
The media expert who drew up the UK's broadcasting rules has urged the watchdog, Ofcom, to decide whether politicians should be allowed to present TV programmes on news channels.
Chris Banatvala said no-one foresaw The Rise of politician presenters when The Rules were being designed in The 2000S .
He Said Ofcom should take " a view about whether what is emerging is acceptable in terms of due impartiality".
The regulator is reviewing its rules around politicians presenting TV shows.
Under Ofcom's rules, news must be presented with due impartiality, and politicians are not allowed to be newsreaders, interviewers or reporters " unless, exceptionally, it is editorially justified".
Ofcom says there are no rules against politicians hosting Current Affairs programmes, as long as they reflect a range of views.
But there's been a debate about how these rules apply to the growing number of programmes fronted by politicians on GB News and Talk TV, both relatively new channels.
Last month, into these programmes after receiving hundreds of complaints about politicians presenting shows.
Then This Week , into potential rule breaches on two programmes, including the GB News show presented by the former cabinet minister, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.
In the episode in question, Sir Jacob Read out a breaking story about The Jury verdict in a civil case involving the former US president, Donald Trump .
This Week , Ofcom's chief executive, Melanie Dawes , said the regulator had a " crucial role in preserving the integrity of broadcast news" and a duty to " ensure our rules remain effective".
Not envisionedMr Banatvala was Ofcom's director of standards when the regulator's rules around politicians presenting programmes were introduced in 2005.
He told The Bbc that in a changing media landscape, we need " a grown-up debate about whether and how we want to apply due impartiality to news".
" It's evident now that news channels are blurring the boundaries between genuine news, Current Affairs and opinion, " He Said . " That may be a good reason for Ofcom to look at these rules in the round. "
He added: " We may need to look at whether these rules are fit for purpose, and whether we need to amend or adjust them. "
He Said the tenor of programme on some channels in the UK " is something that's come across The Pond from America".
It's long been common to see politicians hosting programmes that veer between partisan commentary and news coverage on channels such as Fox News in the US.
The UK's impartiality rules go back decades and were included in Ofcom's broadcasting code following its creation as the communications regulator in 2003.
If broadcasters are found to have breached The Code , Ofcom has powers to impose fines and other sanctions.
When the impartiality rules were drafted, Mr Banatvala said, they were felt to be " ample and adequate to prevent any programme from using the same Political Party over and over again".
" It wasn't ever envisaged that a news channel would use politicians from the same Political Party to present programmes, day in, day out, " He Said .
Ofcom grilledGrilling two Ofcom directors at a meeting of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in Parliament on Tuesday, SNP MP John Nicolson asked why the regulator was not taking more action over programmes fronted by sitting politicians.
Singling out Mr Rees-Mogg's programme on GB News, Mr Nicolson said " Every Day , he churns out the same pro-Brexit, right-wing stuff" arguing " what he's doing is blurring news presenting and commentary".
He asked: " Why don't you act to stop this? "
Kate Davies , Ofcom's public policy director, said the watchdog looks at Current Affairs programmes " differently" to those focused solely on news.
Following further frank exchanges, Mr Nicolson said " we've lost all sight of objective journalism" and suggested " we're going to proceed down a route where we end up with awful, American-style ranting at the camera, we're already seeing it, masquerading as news".
Kate Biggs, Ofcom's content policy director, said the media watchdog takes its responsibility on impartiality and accuracy rules " very seriously".
She Said the regulator's investigations into programmes " do set a precedent for other editors".
GB News and Talk TV have been contacted for comment.
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com