A request to the UK broadcasting regulatory body, Ofcom, to review the RT broadcaster's license in the country, which was filed by Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens, will set "a dangerous precedent" for the freedom of speech and media, the Westminster Russia Forum, a non-profit think tank promoting bilateral ties between Moscow and London, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2020) A request to the UK broadcasting regulatory body, Ofcom, to review the RT broadcaster's license in the country, which was filed by Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens, will set "a dangerous precedent" for the freedom of speech and media, the Westminster Russia Forum, a non-profit think tank promoting bilateral ties between Moscow and London, told Sputnik.
"Just a call for [RT] to be removed from the UK sets a dangerous precedent because if you think maybe six months down the line, there would probably be comparable problems arising with China in the UK. So what is next? We would kick out the Chinese media? You may disagree with the media's editorial stance, but it is still important that they are there to give their viewpoint," Nicholas Cobb, the chairman of the Westminster Russia Forum, said.
Stevens, a member of the Labour Party, previously sent a letter to Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes asking for the regulatory body to review the Russian broadcaster's license following the publication of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee's report on alleged Russian interference, which accused RT of "serious distortions" in its coverage.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has called the accusations of Russian interference discussed in the parliamentary report "fake-shaped Russophobia." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has reiterated that Russia has never interfered in electoral processes in other countries.
