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Lack of anti-extremist legislation hasn't hampered watchdog, says Ofcom chief Lack of anti-extremist legislation hasn't hampered watchdog, says Ofcom chief
(34 minutes later)
Ofcom chief executive Sharon White has said the regulator has not been hampered by lack of legislation in cracking down on extremist broadcasts following David Cameron said it should be given beefed-up powers to tackle the issue.Ofcom chief executive Sharon White has said the regulator has not been hampered by lack of legislation in cracking down on extremist broadcasts following David Cameron said it should be given beefed-up powers to tackle the issue.
White said it was a “difficult judgment to make” on how much extremist content had contributed to young people being radicalised in the UK. Asked about the connection between extremist broadcasters and radicalisation of young people, White said it was “very big question” and a “difficult judgment to make”.
The issue was identified as one of the key pillars of Cameron’s five-year counter extremism strategy unveiled on Monday, in which he said Ofcom would be given new powers to take action against foreign channels that broadcast hate preachers.The issue was identified as one of the key pillars of Cameron’s five-year counter extremism strategy unveiled on Monday, in which he said Ofcom would be given new powers to take action against foreign channels that broadcast hate preachers.
White told MPs on the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee on Tuesday: “We haven’t found that we have been unable to act because the legislation hasn’t given us the powers.”White told MPs on the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee on Tuesday: “We haven’t found that we have been unable to act because the legislation hasn’t given us the powers.”
Related: David Cameron backs plans for Ofcom to block 'extremist messages' on TVRelated: David Cameron backs plans for Ofcom to block 'extremist messages' on TV
She said it was a “very big question” whether the broadcast of extremist messages contributed to the radicalisation of young people. “Where do you place cause and effect, between television and content being a powerful influencer, and that reflecting growing views in society?” she added. “It’s a very difficult judgment to make … One suspects that it will vary by community, even by family.”
“Where do you place cause and effect, between television and content being a powerful influencer, and that reflecting growing views in society?” she said. “It’s a very difficult judgement to make … One suspects that it will vary by community, even by family.”
She said Ofcom had a very good monitoring department that looked at potentially extremist content but added: “Depending on the detail of the prime minister’s statement and how that gets reflected in legislation … we would need to look at the team and whether it would need some extra resourcing.”She said Ofcom had a very good monitoring department that looked at potentially extremist content but added: “Depending on the detail of the prime minister’s statement and how that gets reflected in legislation … we would need to look at the team and whether it would need some extra resourcing.”
An Ofcom spokesperson added: “Ofcom shares the government’s concerns about harmful, extremist content, and we have taken action against a number of channels. We are continuing to work closely with the government to ensure audiences remain protected.”
White, a former Treasury official who took charge of Ofcom in March, said the regulator had on occasion found broadcasters in breach of regulations with broadcasts that caused harm and offence, and in some instances licences had been withdrawn. “It’s not a complete greenfield site,” she said.White, a former Treasury official who took charge of Ofcom in March, said the regulator had on occasion found broadcasters in breach of regulations with broadcasts that caused harm and offence, and in some instances licences had been withdrawn. “It’s not a complete greenfield site,” she said.
But she said the regulator’s remit with regard to the internet was “rather limited, to the broadcasting of stuff that looks like it’s been on the television, in the terrible jargon, TV-like content”.But she said the regulator’s remit with regard to the internet was “rather limited, to the broadcasting of stuff that looks like it’s been on the television, in the terrible jargon, TV-like content”.
Related: Ofcom could take on BBC regulation but not governance, says Sharon WhiteRelated: Ofcom could take on BBC regulation but not governance, says Sharon White
The committee’s chair, Tory MP Jesse Norman, said the definition of “TV-like content” sounded “astonishingly weak and open-ended. Are you really saying that [if] someone who has got extremist content makes a programme sufficiently bad that no one expects to see it on TV, it falls out of your jurisdiction?”The committee’s chair, Tory MP Jesse Norman, said the definition of “TV-like content” sounded “astonishingly weak and open-ended. Are you really saying that [if] someone who has got extremist content makes a programme sufficiently bad that no one expects to see it on TV, it falls out of your jurisdiction?”
White said there were also cases of criminal investigations where the regulator would get involved.White said there were also cases of criminal investigations where the regulator would get involved.