Husband loses C4 Ofcom complaint

The broadcast regulator, Ofcom, has rejected two complaints made against Channel 4 after the August 2009 transmission of its programme, Divorce Jewish Style.

Londoner Edward Saleh complained of unfair treatment in the programme, which featured his ex-wife Miriam, who had not received a get, or religious divorce, from her husband. He also complained that his privacy and that of his son had been "unwarrantably infringed".

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Press TV rapped for flotilla show

Iranian-backed Press TV has been censured by Ofcom, the broadcasting standards body, for its coverage of the Gaza flotilla incident.

A show presented by Tony Blair's sister-in-law, Lauren Booth, breached guidelines on impartiality by including comments relating to Israel "committing a massacre of innocent civilians" and "a barbarous attack".

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Conservative MP blasts Channel 4

Daniel Kawczynski MP, the chair of the Conservative Arab Network, has complained to Ofcom about Channel 4’s Dispatches programme on the “Israel lobby”, calling it “antisemitic” and “disgraceful”.

The programme, aired last month, caused outrage after it claimed to expose an “Israel lobby” working to buy influence with UK politicians and journalists.

Mr Kawczynski called the programme a “witch hunt” and said it “failed to demonstrate any evidence or facts of substance, relying instead on implication, association and prejudice”.

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Ofcom raps radio station for antisemitic 'joke'

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has upheld a complaint against an Asian community radio station which broadcast an antisemitic joke sent in by a listener.

A volunteer presenter on Radio Faza, a Nottingham-based channel aimed at women in the city’s south Asian community, read out the text message on September 25, during the daily News Today show.

He introduced the message as a “joke”, and said: “Jewish kid next door just asked me for a water fight…thought I would text while the kettle is boiling.”

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Ofcom grants licence to Leeds Jewish radio

Ofcom has granted a Leeds-based Jewish radio station a five-year licence for medium wave programming.

Broadcasting on 1386AM, Radio Jcom was only previously available through the internet.

Station manager David Harris was “very excited about the station going on air. We already have a range of programmes covering all areas of interest and will be enlarging on these.”

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George Galloway rapped by Ofcom for radio show

George Galloway, the Respect MP, breached guidelines on impartiality when he encouraged listeners to demonstrate against Israel on his Talksport radio show, the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has found.

It said his programme had moved away “from legitimate debate and started to campaign on a major matter of controversy” by calling on people to join protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

At one point, Mr Galloway, who presents a twice-weekly evening phone-in at the station on topical issues, said: “Stand up, stand up against the great crime that took place in Gaza today.”

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Ofcom clears Channel 4 on Iran message

Ofcom, the broadcast watchdog, has rejected a complaint against Channel 4 for choosing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to deliver its Alternative Christmas Message last year.

This week Ofcom said that it had received 295 complaints from viewers that the Iranian leader was an “offensive and inappropriate” choice because of his views on the Holocaust, women and homosexuals.

But it stated that the actual content of the broadcast could be “described as non-confrontational, comprising as it did a message of goodwill to the UK audience”.

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