Fox News shows broke UK TV impartiality rules, Ofcom finds

The media regulator Ofcom has ruled that the Fox News programmes Hannity and Tucker Carlson Tonight breached impartiality rules covering British broadcasting. The rulings relate to coverage of the Manchester Arena bombing in May and President Donald Trump’s executive order in January that restricted travel to the US from seven majority-Muslim countries. Investors interpreted the rulings as a setback for the Murdoch family’s hopes of taking full control of Sky. 21st Century Fox, which is controlled by the Murdochs and owns Fox News, is trying to buy the 61 percent of Sky that it does not own in an £11.7bn deal. The deal is being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority on the grounds of media plurality and commitment to broadcasting standards. Sky pulled Fox News from its platform in Britain in August. It said the move was for commercial reasons as the channel was attracting only a small audience. Ofcom said it was publishing the rulings despite Fox News no longer being broadcast in the UK “to ensure there is a complete compliance record and to facilitate public understanding of the code”.