- Radio Caroline broadcast a fake announcement of King Charles III’s death followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence
- The presenter, who was streaming remotely, panicked and fled the building once he realised what had been played on air
- Ofcom found the Essex station breached accuracy and correction rules after receiving two complaints about the broadcast
British media regulator Ofcom has ruled that Radio Caroline broke broadcasting rules when it mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III, finding that the Essex station failed to correct the error quickly enough.
The incident occurred during The Barry Marsh Show, when pre-recorded emergency files were played by a staff member described as acting out of curiosity.
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One of the messages broadcast to listeners declared:
“We have suspended our normal programmes until further notice as a mark of respect following the passing of His Majesty King Charles III.” The announcement was followed by the national anthem and roughly 16 minutes of silence.
Presenter Fled the Building
According to the Ofcom ruling, the presenter, who was broadcasting remotely at the time, stopped the files as soon as he became aware of the error, then panicked and left the premises, Independent reports.
When he eventually came back on air, he said: “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 apologise.”
Ofcom said it received two complaints and found Radio Caroline had breached Rule 5.1, which requires news to be reported accurately and impartially, and Rule 5.2, which requires that errors be acknowledged and corrected on air promptly. The regulator noted that the apology and clarification did not come until approximately 30 minutes after the false announcements were first broadcast.
In its statement, Ofcom said:
“We considered this to have been a very significant inaccuracy about an issue of particular public importance.”
The regulator also noted that while an engineer was already aware of the problem, it took time to understand what had happened and restore normal programming, a situation made worse by the presenter broadcasting from a remote location.
Station Removes Files, Staff Member Reprimanded
Radio Caroline said the emergency files had been stored alongside a set of strict instructions requiring approval from presenters and managers before they could be played. The station said it took the matter seriously and acted as quickly as it could once the error came to light.
The staff member responsible was reprimanded and apologised, according to the station. Radio Caroline also said it had deleted the relevant files from the studio desktop computer and reminded all presenters and support staff of the correct procedures to prevent a repeat of the incident.
FG alleges plot against Tinubu during UK visit
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government had alleged a plot to embarrass President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his visit to the United Kingdom.
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development claimed an embattled mining company, Jupiter Ltd, is planning a “campaign of calumny” against Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng