PIERS MORGAN CLEARED BY OFCOM OVER MEGHAN MARKLE COMMENTS

Ofcom has ruled that Piers Morgan did not breach the broadcasting rules whilst discussing Meghan Markle on Good Morning Britain earlier this year.

Ofcom received more than 50,000 complaints about the Good Morning Britain; the majority of which said that comments about mental health and suicide made by one of the lead presenters, Piers Morgan, were both harmful to the audience and highly offensive and that discussions on issues relating to race and racism in the Programme were highly offensive to some viewers.

Ofcom has concluded: "In this case, we considered that the Interview between Ms Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was a highly anticipated moment of national and international interest and discussion. It was a major news story, dominating headlines in both broadcast and print media in the UK. It was therefore likely to have been within audience expectations that the revelations in the Interview would be discussed during the Programme. We also considered that given the seriousness of the issues and allegations raised in the Interview, it was legitimate for those to be discussed and questioned throughout the Programme, in line with the broadcaster’s and audience’s right to freedom of expression."

"We took into account the topic under discussion in the Programme. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had given a lengthy prime time interview in which they made a number of serious allegations about their treatment within the Royal household. This interview became a major international news story and we acknowledged it was both legitimate and in the public interest for ITV to broadcast debates featuring presenters such as Mr Morgan scrutinising those allegations including the veracity, timing, and possible motivations of the claims. Consistent with the right to freedom of expression, broadcasters can portray strong views on the matter, including views casting doubt on the claims made."

Ofcom's full ruling can be found here.