Ofcom: Laurence Fox broke broadcasting rules with 'misogynistic' comments about journalist Ava Evans on Dan Wootton GB News show

Ofcom has ruled that Laurence Fox broke broadcasting rules when he made "misogynistic" comments towards a female journalist on a GB News programme.

During a segment on Dan Wootton's show on the channel on September 26, 2023, Fox asked "who would want to sh*g that?" when speaking about PoliticsJOE political journalist Ava Evans. The incident caused widespread outrage, with both Fox and presenter Wootton, who was seen on the show laughing along as Fox made the comments, suspended from the channel.

Ofcom received 8,867 complaints about the comments. An investigation was launched by the media watchdog, with it now ruling that Fox did break broadcasting rules.

In its ruling, Ofcom said: "In line with the legal right to freedom of expression, broadcasters are free to include potentially offensive material in their programmes under our rules. But, in doing so, such content must be justified and put into sufficient context to ensure audiences are protected."

It continued: "We found that Mr Fox’s comments constituted a highly personal attack on Ms Evans and were potentially highly offensive to viewers. They reduced her contribution to a broadcast discussion on mental health - in her professional capacity as a political journalist - to a judgment on whether she, or women like her who publicly expressed their political opinions, were sexually desirable to men.

"As such, we considered that Mr Fox’s comments were degrading and demeaning both to Ms Evans and women generally and were clearly and unambiguously misogynistic. In our view, Mr Wootton’s reaction and limited challenge in response did not mitigate the potential for offence. Rather, they exacerbated it by contributing to the narrative in which a woman’s value was judged by her physical appearance."

Ofcom added that it would be requesting GB News provide further details on its compliance practices after the investigation highlighted "significant concerns about GB News' editorial control of its live output". It added that it would be requesting to meet with GB News representatives to discuss these concerns.

Posting on X, Fox responded: "I’m not overly bothered about this anymore. I could have expressed myself better, that’s life and I’ve said my bit. I still think it’s one of the biggest pieces of confected outrage I’ve ever witnessed."

Ms Evans told BBC News that she was "pleased" about Ofcom's ruling, adding that comments such as Fox's "dissuade young woman from choosing journalism as a career". GB News and Wootton have not commented on the ruling.