Islam Times - Press TV thrown of UK TV – A strategic plan by the UK

Islam Times - Outrage as the British Ofcom have thrown one of the world's leading news broadcaster off air in the UK for an apparent breach of British broadcasting license rules ...

Islam Times: Press TV, an English language news channel watched by millions across the world shall no longer be viewed on British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB ) or any other UK television outlets.

Ofcom, who regulate programmes and channels on all British outlets in a statement said: "Ofcom has decided to revoke the licence held by Press TV Limited with immediate effect."
The regulator went on to say: "Broadcasting rules require that a licence is held by the person who is in general control of the TV service: that is, the person that chooses the programmes to be shown in the service and organises the programme schedule. Ofcom gave Press TV the opportunity to apply to have its operations in Tehran correctly licensed by Ofcom and Ofcom offered to assist it to do so," said the regulator.

Press TV has been under the spotlight of Ofcom since it started to air on British television and many experts believe that a reason was being searched for to bring the news channel down and off UK television. One famous of many sanctions and embargoes came when the station was fined £100,000 in 2011 for interviewing Maziar Bahari a journalist of Newsweek who was under imprisonment. The 10 second clip according to Ofcom was a breach of UK television regulations and many believed the demise for Press TV.

According to Ofcom, Press TV did not pay this fine and many believe that the fine was out of line and was not deserved by Press TV. A deadline of January 2012 was given to Press TV according to Ofcom and the fine was not paid.

Ofcom also state they had given Press TV options for breaching UK TV regulations and because they failed to respond the regulator contacted BSKYB and called for Press TV to be pushed off air on Friday 20 January 2012.
The decision of Ofcom has left staff at Press TV and many viewers of the news channel seen as giving a different side to the news rather than the one shown by BBC, Sky, Fox, CNN and others as a sad day.

Speaking to British newspaper the Guardian, Hamid Emadi, The Press TV newsroom director said the channel is examining ways of continuing to broadcast into the UK and said that he believes that Press TV had been taken off air in the UK for "for airing a 10-second news clip" of Bahari.

Speaking about the Bihari interview Hamid Emadi said: "He claims he has been interviewed under duress. Press TV has strongly rejected that."

Emadi then told the Guardian: "Press TV believes that Ofcom is the media tool of the British government the same government that sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to participate in the killing of innocent civilians. WikiLeaks cables say London and Washington have explored ways to limit the operations of Press TV in the UK. And here it comes; Press TV is removed from the Sky platform."
"The British government and Ofcom will not be able to silence Press TV's voice in the UK. We will exhaust all possibilities and will try to stay in the UK as an active media player and an alternative voice," Emadi said.

This is a sad day for UK news as Press TV highlighted issues from the other side of what the news viewer was shown. The perfect example for this is the flotilla of Palestine and when the Israel and Lebanon war happened – It was Press TV that showed the news from Lebanon and not from Israel or a studio in their respective country like all the other news broadcasters across the world did.

Press TV focused on giving its viewer an alternative, an opportunity to see the story from the other side – from the other point of view, thus giving the viewer the chance of making a judgment for themselves rather than being brainwashed by watching just one side of the action; the side they asre only shown.

Press TV was gaining a following not just by Muslim but non-Muslim viewers and the reason for this is simply because they were not afraid to show and speak the truth.
Thus, the sad reality lies with the fact that Press TV is Iran based and everyone is well aware of the intentions of Israel and the western world towards Iran.
The real reason is fear.

Fear that if any action was taken on Iran by the western world, the risk of having an open English language news channel that shows the news from the other side may ruin the plans of the western world and make the viewer ask questions; questions about why this action on Iran is really being taken and this the western world cannot afford under any circumstance.

Press TV worked on showing oppressions not just direct from Palestine but across the world of both Muslim and non-Muslims. They highlighted issues that ranged from the global recession to the student demonstrations of 2010 in the UK and always gave a civilian perspective of current affairs.

I guess the biggest threat was that of the viewer perspective that has led to the closure.

Ofcom are saying a fine of £100,000 was not paid by Press TV for an interview that breached regulations? It is not the fine or the money, thus the principle behind this fine and money. It is ok for other channels across the world to show what they like but when a channel shows the truth as Press TV did – they are scrutinized.

There is still hope that Press TV shall make it back on the UK screens and hopefully it shall in the near future, however they say truth always comes on top at the end and hopefully Press TV shall be back to show the truth to the people of the UK.
© Islam Times