The Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the United Kingdom (UK), has fined Loveworld, a television channel owned by popular Nigerian pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, £125,000 for airing a sermon that breached broadcasting code on COVID-19.
According to Wednesday’s official rate, the fine might be equivalent to N65m.
Ofcom in a statement on Wednesday stated that the TV channel breached its rules on accuracy in news, and harm in its coverage of the COVID-19.
Pastor Oyakhilome, who is also the founder of Believers LoveWorld Incorporated, otherwise known as The Christ Embassy, during a recent virtual church service had condemned his fellow pastors for encouraging their members to take the COVID-19 vaccines.
According to him, pastors shouldn’t be promoting vaccination as it contradicts the faith of the religion, adding that if his fellow pastors believed in what they are preaching, they wouldn’t have advocated for the vaccine.
The pastor had in April, in the early days of COVID-19 pandemic, expressed his doubt on the need for lockdowns, describing the pandemic as a ‘global cover-up for 5G networks.’
According to him, there was a link between COVID-19 and 5G technology.
Also in May, 2020, Ofcom imposed a broadcasting sanction on Loveworld channel for airing ‘potentially harmful statements’ about the COVID-19 pandemic, including a conspiracy claiming that the virus is linked to the rollout of 5G networks.
On December1, 2020, Ofcom, again imposed a fine of N65M on thechannel for airing inaccurate and potentially harmful claims during a 29-hour programme.
The statement by Ofcom reads: “Ofcom has imposed a financial penalty of £125,000 on Loveworld Limited after a programme broadcast on its religious service Loveworld Television Network featured inaccurate and potentially harmful claims about the Coronavirus without providing adequate protection for viewers. This was the second time in a year that the broadcaster breached our rules on accuracy in news, and harm in its coverage of the Coronavirus. Ofcom considered these breaches to be serious, repeated and reckless, warranting the imposition of a statutory sanction beyond the direction to broadcast a statement of our findings that Ofcom issued in its Decision published 15 January 2021. Ofcom’s investigation found that the 29-hour programme, Global Day of Prayer, included statements claiming that the pandemic is a “planned” event created by the “deep state” for nefarious purposes, and that the vaccine is a “sinister” means of administering “nanochips” to control and harm people. Some statements claimed that “fraudulent” testing had been carried out to deceive the public about the existence of the virus and the scale of the pandemic. Others linked the cause of Covid-19 to the roll out of 5G technology. Ofcom stresses that legitimate debate about the official response to the Coronavirus pandemic is fundamental to holding public authorities to account during a global health crisis - particularly when public freedoms are curtailed and complex policy decisions are being taken. However, the inaccurate and potentially harmful claims made during this programme were unsupported by any factual evidence and went entirely without challenge. Ofcom was particularly concerned that this breach followed previous, similar breaches in 2020 during the investigation of which, Loveworld Limited gave Ofcom a number of assurances as to how it would improve its compliance procedures.”
