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Nice of Twitter to keep us informed..

Posted by Gerard <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/info/user=GKH' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on June 30, 2022, 5:04 pm

"@RT_com's account has been withheld in Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, Sweden, Croatia, Spain, Slovenia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, Netherlands, Estonia, Malta, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Lithuania, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, United Kingdom in response to a legal demand. https://Learn more."

Link: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/tweet-withheld-by-country

Ofcom FOI request re: RT ban

Posted by Ian M <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/info/user=Ian+M' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on July 1, 2022, 5:54 pm, in reply to "Nice of Twitter to keep us informed.."

Emailed to Ofcom June 18th:

'The March 18th decision to revoke the licence of RT cited '29 ongoing investigations by Ofcom into the due impartiality of RT’s news and current-affairs coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine' - https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/bulletins/content-sanctions-adjudications/decision-ano-tv-novosti

Point 51 of the in-depth document noted that these investigations had been launched 'following monitoring and complaints about RT’s coverage of
the conflict in Ukraine' but that Ofcom had 'not concluded on any of these
investigations' at the time - https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/234023/revocation-notice-ano-tv-novosti.pdf Please could you provide any relevant documentation about the substance of these complaints and the outcome of the subsequent investigations, ie: whether RT was found guilty of spreading documented falsehoods about the war in Ukraine in addition to the rather subjective judgement that it was considered not 'fit and proper to hold a UK broadcast licence.' Many thanks in advance.'

Acknowledged on the 21st with the assurance that they will 'endeavour to answer your request in full and within 20 Working Days. If we are unable to provide the information requested, we will explain why the information has not been provided'.

Will post any reply in due course, watch this space...
I

Tell your story; Ask a question; Interpret generously
http://storybythethroat.wordpress.com/tell-ask-listen/

Re: Ofcom FOI request re: RT ban

Posted by Raskolnikov <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/info/user=Raskolnikov' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on July 2, 2022, 6:53 am, in reply to "Ofcom FOI request re: RT ban"

Should be a masterclass in obfucscation and corpoblabber which, when all translated to English, comes out to "#### off prole, we don't have to explain ourselves to you".

Great enquiry though; really pins them down to the important issues, which is probably why I doubt they will be candid in their reply.

Will be interested to hear what happens.

...no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.

Re: Ofcom FOI request re: RT ban

Posted by Ian M <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/info/user=Ian+M' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on July 2, 2022, 12:49 pm, in reply to "Re: Ofcom FOI request re: RT ban"

Thanks, yes not expecting much but thought it was worth a try (my first FOI request!) Would have also liked to see who was doing the monitoring & complaining about RT's coverage. Maybe that's another thing Paul Mason was involved in?? Doubt they would reveal that information as other FOI responses on the website redact identifying info unless it can satisfy a 'public interest test', or for other stated reasons relating to business or personal confidentiality, eg: this response to a query about communications to Freeview, Freesat and Sky regarding the RT ban:

*****

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/235364/Communications-regarding-the-removal-of-RT.pdf

Reference: 1430208

Freedom of Information: Right to know request

Thank you for your request for information about communications with Freeview, Freesat and Sky
related to RT.

We received this request on 7 March 2022 and have considered it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 (“the Act”).

Your request
You asked: “Can you publish any communications you have had Freeview, Freesat and Sky about the
decision to remove RT?”

Background
On 18 March 2022 Ofcom announced its decision to revoke RT’s broadcasting licence1 . Further
information can be found here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/bulletins/content-
sanctions-adjudications/decision-ano-tv-novosti

Our response

We understand your request as relating to Ofcom’s decision to revoke RT’s broadcasting licence.
We can confirm we do hold information in response to your request. This comprises email
correspondence with Sky dated 18 March 2022 and Freeview and Freesat, on the same day. Please
find these emails attached. Personal information has been redacted under section 40 of the Act
which provides that such information is exempt for the purposes of the Act.

Section 40 is an absolute exemption under the Act and does not require a public interest test.

We may have received one or more acknowledgements of receipt from Freeview, Freesat and Sky
but we can neither confirm nor deny this because the information is held by us subject to section
393 of the Communications Act 2003.

1 On 2 March 2022, following the imposition of sanctions by the EU which affected the ability of third parties to provide services to the licence holder for the RT service, RT ceased to broadcast on regulated platforms in the UK.

Gloria Akinyemi
Information Rights Adviser
Information.requests@ofcom.org.uk
4 April 2022

Section 44(1)(a) of the FOI Act exempts disclosure of information if its disclosure is prohibited by
other legislation. In this case, we are prohibited under section 393 of the Communications Act 2003
from disclosing information which relates to a business which we have obtained in exercise of our
powers, unless we have the consent of that business or one of the statutory gateways under section 393(2) of the Communications Act 2003 is met, neither of which applies here. Section 44 is an absolute exemption and does not require a public interest test.

If you have any further queries, then please send them to information.requests@ofcom.org.uk
quoting the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely,
Gloria Akinyemi

*****

Via this page, under the 'Broadcasting' sub-heading: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/foi-dp/foi-responses

Hoping to give an ofcom underling a headache - it's the least they should be required of them after their decision. From what I observed RT seemed to be reporting very carefully at the time of the invasion (albeit dutifully referred to as the 'special military operation'), so I would be surprised if any of the examples of alleged lack of impartiality amount to anything. Probably they would just reveal western/Ukrainian propaganda claims which RT failed to go along with, thus earning them the outraged spluttering of the propagandised western viewership. Or straight from cynical propagandists themselves trying to clear the airwaves of any competing counter-narratives.

Will report back any replies...
I

Tell your story; Ask a question; Interpret generously
http://storybythethroat.wordpress.com/tell-ask-listen/

Watch RT online

Posted by Ian M <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/info/user=Ian+M' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on July 2, 2022, 12:59 pm, in reply to "Re: Ofcom FOI request re: RT ban"

Just checked and this link still works:

https://rumble.com/vwbbjn-putin-announces-special-operation-in-donbass-special-coverage.html

Tell your story; Ask a question; Interpret generously
http://storybythethroat.wordpress.com/tell-ask-listen/

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