Britain11 August, 20262 min read
Radio Caroline Breached Ofcom Rules After Staffer Played Pre-Recorded King Charles III Death Announcements
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Ofcom ruled Radio Caroline breached broadcasting rules after false death announcements of King Charles III. Three pre-recorded messages claimed King Charles III had died during The Barry Marsh Show.
False death broadcast
A UK radio station, Radio Caroline, breached broadcast standards after it mistakenly aired reports that King Charles III had died in May during The Barry Marsh Show on May 19. NewsNation said the station aired three prerecorded statements that King Charles died in May, and Ofcom reported that the U.K. national anthem played after one of the statements before over 15 minutes of silence.
The BBC said the station aired three pre-recorded announcements falsely stating the King had died, and that the messages claimed the "news media" had "confirmed" the death. Ofcom said the mistake happened after a staff member carrying out maintenance accessed pre-recorded obituary files intended for use in the event of the King's death, and the files were played "out of curiosity," cutting off the presenter's remote stream and putting the announcements on air.
Apology and regulator ruling
About 30 minutes after the statements aired, the host apologized, saying, "I’ve just been informed that we’ve played in error some information a little earlier, I didn’t hear this myself, but it is incorrect, it’s a technical issue, and of course we apologize," according to NewsNation and People. People reported Ofcom received two complaints about the reports, which interrupted regular music programming, and said the national anthem was then played before one of the statements was repeated.
The BBC said Ofcom ruled Radio Caroline breached Rule 5.1 and Rule 5.2, describing the false announcement as a "very significant inaccuracy" on a matter of "very high public interest." The Independent said Ofcom noted that Radio Caroline did not broadcast an apology and clarification until approximately 30 minutes after the inaccurate announcements were first broadcast, and that a staff member "panicked and left the premises" after stopping the files.
Procedures changed
Radio Caroline told Ofcom that the pre-recorded files were accompanied by "a set of strict instructions to presenters and managers" to follow before being aired, but that a staff member played the files "out of curiosity," according to People and the Express Tribune. The station said it reprimanded the staff member and that the files now exist on an external hard drive, while also reminding presenters and staff of the relevant procedures, as described by People and the Express Tribune.
The BBC reported that the staff member involved has been reprimanded, and that the obituary files have been moved off the studio desktop to prevent a repeat incident. In its ruling, Ofcom said the incident was a breach of two rules under the Broadcasting Code, and the BBC said it described the false announcement as a "very significant inaccuracy" on a matter of "very high public interest."