Ofcom has a range of sanctions within its power. The least stringent option is to order a broadcaster not to repeat a program. It can also order the broadcaster to issue a correction or a summary of an Ofcom finding; impose a fine of up to £250,000; or shorten, suspend, or revoke the broadcaster’s license. The final option is extremely rare, having only been used three times in history.

In 2015, Ofcom found RT guilty of a “serious breach” of impartiality rules in a single program and ordered it to broadcast a summary of the decision. The latest statement did not hint at what level of sanction, if any, might be appropriate, but said that any sanction would be “proportionate and fair, taking into account all the relevant circumstances, the Licensee’s representations and any relevant previous cases.”

RT said it was “extremely disappointed” with the Ofcom finding, stating:

“It appears Ofcom has failed to fully take on board what we said in response to its investigations and, in particular, has not paid due regard to the rights of a broadcaster and the audience.”

2. Big Decision

The ruling was an unprecedented blow for RT. Over the past four years, the broadcaster has had ten programs found guilty of violating standards of accuracy and impartiality (@DFRLab described them here). The latest ruling added another seven, all committed in a six-week period from March 17, 2018, to April 26, 2018.

RT’s earlier record on accuracy and impartiality was, itself, relatively poor. Its record on other issues, such as use of bad language, was on a par with or even better than other broadcasters. For example, between January 2014 and December 2017, UK broadcaster Channel 4 and US broadcaster Fox News each had three findings against them on accuracy and impartiality.

To have seven violations over just a six-week period in a single finding is extremely rare.

The unusual nature of the finding was reinforced by its presentation. Usually, Ofcom presents its finding in a bulletin published on alternate Mondays. The RT findings took up an entire 190-page bulletin, released three days after the regular bulletin, indicating both the complexity and the extraordinary nature of the case.

3. Kremlin Interests

Seven programs were found guilty of violating standards of impartiality; all concerned issues of strategic interest to Russia.

Two covered the poisoning of former agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in March. Four concerned events in Syria, especially in the wake of the Douma chemical attack, in April. The last concerned accusations that the Ukrainian government systematically glorifies Nazis.

In each case, RT failed to observe “due impartiality” by emphasizing the Russian government’s view of proceedings and by not providing adequate coverage of its critics. Several times in the bulletin, Ofcom found that RT had failed to give the Kremlin’s rivals a duly impartial hearing.

“The lack of any viewpoint representing that of the Ukrainian Government meant that the serious accusation of the glorification of Nazism at a state-wide level in Ukraine went unchallenged, and consequently viewers were not provided with a duly impartial report about this issue.” — Ofcom Bulletin, p. 180.

RT’s earlier violations of the obligation to preserve due impartiality fit the same pattern. They concerned its reporting on Syria and Ukraine, together with its content on Turkey in 2016. All of these violations tended to emphasize the Kremlin’s position and underplay those of its critics.

4. Russia First, Balance Second

In its correspondence with Ofcom, RT owner TV-Novosti argued that “RT must be able to broadcast a Russian perspective as a counter to the western narrative.”