Press TV CEO’s reply to Ofcom letter

Britain’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) has imposed a 100,000-pound fine on Press TV for what it calls the breach of the regulator’s rule.

Ofcom has also decided to remove the Iranian English-language news channel from the Sky platform under the pretext that Press TV made administrative errors in its application for a license in 2007.

In December 2011, Press TV’s CEO Dr. Mohammad Sarafraz wrote a letter in response to the government-controlled Ofcom’s decision to ban Press TV.

In a letter to Press TV’s CEO dated January 6, 2012, Chief Executive of Ofcom Ed Richards claimed that the British regulator is an independent body and that it is not affiliated with the British Government:

Dear Mr. Sarafraz

I refer to your letter of 28 December 2011 to me. In light of the nature of that letter, and although I understand that this point has previously been made clear by Ofcom to Press TV, I consider I should state again that Ofcom as the broadcast regulator is independent from the UK Government.

Ofcom’s decisions are made independently in accordance with its statutory powers and duties under the Communications Act 2003. Any decision which Ofcom may make regarding the Press TV service will be based solely on its assessment of the compliance of Press TV Limited and the Press TV service with the UK licensing regime.

I do not believe that it would be appropriate or relevant for Ofcom to respond to your views on the domestic and international policies of the UK Government.

I understand that colleagues working within the broadcast licensing team at Ofcom are in ongoing correspondence with Press TV Limited in relation to the licensing of the Press TV service and the compliance of that service with broadcasting standards.

Yours sincerely

Ed Richards

Press TV’s CEO responded to Richards in a letter in which he clarified how the regulator is controlled by the British government.

The following is Press TV CEO Dr. Sarafraz’s response to Ofcom CEO Ed Richards:

Dear Mr. Ed Richards,

1. In your letter dated January 6, 2012 you declared that Ofcom is an independent body and that it is not affiliated with the British Government. Two factors are critical in determining whether an organization is linked to a government:

a) It derives its authority from the Government
b) It obtains its funding from the Government

Ofcom was created based on an act of the British Parliament, namely the Office of Communications Act 2002. This act also gives the British Secretary of State the power to appoint or remove from office Ofcom’s chairman and its members, and even to dissolve the entire organization. But the interesting point is that even though Ofcom has the power to determine what TV channels the people of Britain can have access to, it is not in any way answerable to the British public.

Ofcom is funded by loans and Grant-in-Aid from the British Government. In fact, because Grant-in-Aid is Ofcom’s primary source of funding, the British Government’s own Office for National Statistics recently declared that Ofcom must be recognized as a central government unit.

Now, Mr. Chairman, how could you possibly have asserted that you are independent and are not tied to the British Government? Given the blatant misinformation that you have provided, are you even qualified to investigate complaints against TV channels and media outlets?

2. Since it is clear that Ofcom is a government organization, it should also be answerable regarding the British Government’s conduct.

It is common knowledge that the British Government together with the United States has played a direct role in the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan. The British Government also established Bahrain and other autocratic Persian Gulf monarchies, and has even given legitimacy to the regimes of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s monarchies. These regimes have oppressed their people for many decades. The British Government’s actions are reflected by Bahrain’s Royal Family-an oppressive minority ruler that, with the help of foreign powers, violates all the rights of the majority. It appears that the British Royal Family has recently been rewarded for its all-out support by receiving multi-million-dollar jewels as gifts from the Bahraini regime.

The British Royal Government-with its infamous dark track record spanning four centuries of dispatching military forces to the four corners of the globe, its wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan, its killing of innocent civilians, its support of oppressive monarchies, and its unjustified military presence in Afghanistan-now wants to fine Press TV a hundred thousand pounds and revoke the channel’s license to broadcast in the UK on the Sky platform simply for airing a news item comprising the following 10-second clip spoken by Maziar Bahari:

“On Monday, 15th of June, I sent a report about the attack against a base, a military base of Basij to Channel 4 News as well as to Newsweek magazine.”

Ofcom claims that the broadcast of this sentence was unfair to Maziar Bahari and an invasion of his privacy. We do not accept your unjust judgment and will leave it to public opinion to decide whether it is the British government that must stand trial and be punished or Press TV. Your organization represents a government that has violated the rights of numerous people of various nationalities and has put them in lethal harm’s way.

Ofcom never investigated British broadcaster Channel 4’s deceptive and misleading news coverage that was exposed by Press TV, but has gone out of its way to punish Press TV for broadcasting the truth by trying to impose a ridiculously harsh financial sanction and revoke the broadcast license.

3. There is a glaring contradiction in the way Ofcom has dealt with Press TV. Ofcom wants to revoke the broadcast license because it has determined that Press TV Ltd. does not have control over the broadcast. Yet at the same time, Ofcom sentences Press TV Ltd. to pay a financial penalty for the broadcast of something Ofcom says it has no control over! How can you possibly explain your paradoxical performance?

4. Another fallacy Ofcom appears to be suffering from is its delusional belief that by revoking the license it can suppress Press TV from broadcasting the truth about Britain’s Royal regime. However, as previously pointed out, it is futile to attempt to conceal the truth from the people of Britain, and those that want to hear our alternative voice will find a way despite your efforts.

Sincerely,

Press TV’s CEO
Mohammad Sarafraz