UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom has sanctioned Pastor Chris
Oyakhilome’s LoveWorld Television Ministry for airing false and “potentially
harmful statements” about the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Ofcom said the Christian channel aired a
sermon that promoted a baseless conspiracy that the virus is linked to the
roll-out of 5G Network.
It also insinuated a “global coverup”.
In addition Loveworld news also claimed that
hydroxychloroquine is a cure for COVID-19, without proof.
“Our investigation found that a report on Loveworld News
included unsubstantiated claims that 5G was the cause of the pandemic, and that
this was the subject of a ‘global cover-up’, Ofcom said.
“Another report during the programme suggested
hydroxychloroquine as a ‘cure’ for Covid-19, without acknowledging that its
effectiveness and safety as a treatment was clinically unproven, or making
clear that it has potentially serious side effects”, it added.
Ofcom said Loveworld breached Rules 2.1 and 5.1 of the
Broadcasting Code.
Loveworld’s sanction was non-monetary, for now. Ofcom simply
wanted it to broadcast its findings that debunked its fake news and sermon.
But it also warned about a further sanction: “We are
considering whether to impose any further sanction,” the statement added.
Loveworld TV was not the only violator of the UK
broadcasting code punished by Ofcom on Monday.
Ofcom also sanctioned London Live and radio station Uckfield
FM for airing similar false claims without them being sufficiently challenged.
Oyakhilome’s Loveworld, also known as Christ Embassy, is
based in Lagos but has operations in several countries across the world,
including South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The church has at least 90 branches in the UK and an
estimated 13 million followers around the world, according to one estimate.
Read the full Ofcom statement:
Ofcom has today imposed a sanction on Loveworld Limited,
which broadcasts the religious television channel Loveworld, after a news
programme and a live sermon included potentially harmful claims about Covid-19.
Our investigation found that a report on Loveworld News
included unsubstantiated claims that 5G was the cause of the pandemic, and that
this was the subject of a ‘global cover-up’. Another report during the
programme suggested hydroxychloroquine as a ‘cure’ for Covid-19, without
acknowledging that its effectiveness and safety as a treatment was clinically
unproven, or making clear that it has potentially serious side effects.
A sermon broadcast on Your Loveworld also included
unsubstantiated claims linking the pandemic to 5G technology, as well as claims
which cast serious doubt on the necessity for lockdown measures and the motives
behind official health advice on Covid-19, including in relation to
vaccination.
There is no ban on broadcasting controversial views which
are different from, or which challenge, official authorities on public health
information. However, given the unsubstantiated claims in both these programmes
were not sufficiently put into context, they risked undermining viewers’ trust
in official health advice, with potentially serious consequences for public
health.
Given these serious failings, we concluded that Loveworld
Limited did not adequately protect viewers from the potentially harmful content
in the news programme and the sermon, and the news reports were not duly
accurate. Loveworld Limited must broadcast our findings and we are considering
whether to impose any further sanction.
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