Ofcom clears Geo News UK in “fairness” case
UK media regulator, Ofcom has cleared Geo News in a case, in which a complaint was made about “unjust or unfair treatment” in the programme ‘Geo World News’ as broadcast in May 2022.
The complaint by Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), was made on its behalf by Mr Altaf Hussain.
The programme included a story about a report by a Pakistan “Law enforcement agency” on suspected terrorist attacks in Karachi. The programme alleged that, according to the report, three groups were suspected of being behind the attacks, including the MQM London, which operated “sleeper cells” “used for the purpose of recce [i.e. reconnaissance]” in the attacks.
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Mr Hussain, the founder and leader of the MQM, complained that the MQM was treated unfairly in the programme as broadcast because the MQM had “nothing to do with these claims” and did not operate terrorist sleeper cells from London.
Ofcom considered that, in the particular circumstances of this case, the broadcaster took reasonable care to satisfy itself that material facts were not presented, disregarded or omitted in the programme in a way that was unfair to the MQM.
