Media watchdog Ofcom has ruled that Laurence Fox’s “misogynistic” comments about female journalist Ava Evans on Dan Wootton’s GB News show broke broadcasting rules which protect “viewers from offensive content”.
Nearly 9,000 people complained to Ofcom over the comments made on GB News, with viewers complaining they were sexist, misogynistic and offensive.
In the segment aired on 26 September 2023, the former actor and Reclaim Party founder called Ms Evans a “little woman”, declaring: “Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever, ever, who wasn’t an incel.”
Laurence Fox’s comments ‘were clearly and unambiguously misogynistic’, Ofcom found
(PA Wire)
The media regulator said his remarks “constituted a highly personal attack on Ms Evans and were potentially highly offensive to viewers”.
“[The comments] reduced her contribution to a broadcast discussion on mental health – in her professional capacity as a political journalist – to a judgement on whether she, or women like her who publicly expressed their political opinions, were sexually desirable to men.
“As such, we considered that Mr Fox’s comments were degrading and demeaning both to Ms Evans and women generally and were clearly and unambiguously misogynistic.”
Presenter Dan Wootton was also suspended by the channel after the broadcast
(PA Media)
Mr Fox and presenter Mr Wootton, who both later apologised, were suspended by the channel after the broadcast. Mr Fox was later sacked.
In a video posted on his social media account in the days following the programme, Mr Fox said he was “so sorry” for the way he expressed himself.
He said: “I could have and should have expressed it better. It’s not right, it’s demeaning 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.
“I’m not saying any of this stuff because I know I’m going to get sacked tomorrow. I’m saying it to clear my own conscience.”
He added: “I express my apology to Ava for the language used, but I maintain the sentiment.”
The media watchdog also found Mr Wootton’s reaction and “limited challenge” in response “did not mitigate the potential for offence”.
“Rather, they exacerbated it by contributing to the narrative in which a woman’s value was judged by her physical appearance.”
Ofcom said the circumstances of the case have resulted in “significant concerns about GB News’s editorial control of its live output”.
It added: “We are requiring GB News to provide further detailed information about its compliance practices in this area for our consideration, and requesting it attends a meeting at our offices to discuss this.”
The media regulator also announced it is launching a further investigation into Nigel Farage’s programme on the channel on 17 January.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We are investigating whether this programme broke our rules requiring news and current affairs to be presented with due impartiality, and preventing politicians from acting as news presenters.”
