Media watchdog Ofcom has given its ruling regarding Laurence Fox’s comments on GB News last year.
It has ruled that Laurence Fox’s comments about journalist Ava Evans on GB News’ Dan Wootton Tonight were “misogynistic” and broke broadcasting rules. The actor-turned-politician made remarks about political correspondent Ms Evans and sparked outrage during a segment on the show.
Speaking to Dan Wootton on live TV, he asked “who would want to s**g that? “, during an episode on September 26. These comments sparked a whopping 8,867 complaints.
READ MORE: GB News’ Dan Wootton to face ‘no further action’ over sexual misconduct allegations
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Both Fox and presenter Wootton, who later said sorry for the incident, were suspended by the channel after the broadcast. Fox was eventually sacked from the channel.
(Image: GB NEWS/UNPIXS)
Ofcom stated: “An Ofcom investigation today concluded that an episode of Dan Wootton Tonight on GB News broke broadcasting rules designed to protect viewers from offensive content.”
In its ruling, it said Fox’s comments were a “constituted a highly personal attack on Ms Evans and were potentially highly offensive to viewers”.
The watchdog added that his words reduced her professional contribution to a discussion on mental health to a judgement on whether she, or women like her, who publicly expressed their political opinions, were sexually desirable to men.
Ofcom also found that Wootton’s reaction and limited challenge in response did not lessen the potential for offence. Instead, they made it worse by contributing to the narrative in which a woman’s value was judged by her physical appearance.
Laurence later issued an apology in a clip broadcast on GB News, where he said: “If I was going to be sensible and I could replay it, I would say: ‘Any self-respecting man in 2023 would probably be well advised to avoid a woman who possessed that world view because she would probably cause him nothing but harm’.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“But what I did say was, you know, ‘I wouldn’t shag that’, and all that sort of stuff, which is not right. It’s demeaning to her, to Ava, so I’m sorry for demeaning you in that way.
“However angry I am with you still for doing that, and it demeans me because it’s not representative of who I am.” He added: “I know I’m going to get sacked tomorrow. I’m saying this stuff to clear my own conscience.”
He added: “I express my apology to Ava for the language used, but I maintain the sentiment.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
