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Piers Morgan Wins Ofcom Complaint Over Meghan Markle Row

Piers Morgan Wins Ofcom Complaint Over Meghan Markle Row

Ofcom said that the comments from the former Good Morning Britain host were 'potentially harmful' but ruled GMB was not in breach

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Piers Morgan's comments about the Duchess of Sussex's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Ofcom has said.

The comments made by the former GMB host about Meghan Markle resulted in an on-air row with ex-colleague Alex Beresford which led to Morgan storming off and quitting the show.

Taking to Twitter, 56-year-old Morgan wrote: "@Ofcom⁩ rejects all complaints against me over Meghan Markle furore that led to my exit from ⁦@GMB⁩.

"Verdict says I was entitled to disbelieve her & Prince Harry & to restrict my right to do so would be a 'chilling restriction on freedom of expression.'"

Alongside the post is a screenshot of Ofcom's conclusion which states: "The Interview between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey contained serious allegations and it was legitimate for this Programme to discuss and scrutinise those claims including their veracity.

"Ofcom is clear that, consistent with freedom of expression, Mr Morgan was entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account.

"The Code allows for individuals to express strongly held and robustly argued views, including those that are potentially harmful or highly offensive, and for broadcasters to include these in their programming.

"The restrictions of such views would, in our view, be an unwarranted and chilling restriction of freedom of expression both of the broadcaster and the audience."

CBS

In an official statement, an Ofcom spokesperson said: "This was a finely-balanced decision. Mr Morgan's comments were potentially harmful and offensive to viewers, and we recognise the strong public reaction to them.

"But we also took full account of freedom of expression. Under our rules, broadcasters can include controversial opinions as part of legitimate debate in the public interest, and the strong challenge to Mr Morgan from other contributors provided important context for viewers.

"Nonetheless, we've reminded ITV to take greater care around content discussing mental health and suicide in future. ITV might consider the use of timely warnings or signposting of support services to ensure viewers are properly protected."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: TV and Film, News