Believe TV fined £25,000 for breaching broadcasting rules
Television regulator Ofcom has imposed a penalty of £25,000 upon The Light Academy Limited for breaches broadcast on their network Believe TV.
The regulator found that material transmitted, which focused on faith healing, in a number of programmes fell foul of their broadcast rules.
The broadcasts between the 21st of December 2010 and 1st February 2011 concerned content by ‘Televangelist’ Paul Lewis which promoted his Miracle Olive Oil Soap as having healing powers. One section of a programme included Paul saying to a studio audience member, “I told you to take a bath with one of my olive oil soaps and what happened?” The reply was ““I have cancer no more”.
Ofcom note that a similar issue had arisen in 2007 and 2008 on a number of religious channels for which the regulator had noted breaches to the UK broadcasting code. In responsce to the issue Believe TV dropped The Paul Lewis Ministries on the 24th December 2010.
However continuing into early 2011 Ofcom state they were also concerned that other material broadcast on Believe TV contained examples of potentially unsubstantiated and dangerous claims about the healing of serious conditions such as infertility and cancer.
In a programme on Feburary 4th 2011 Bishop Climate Irungu spoke directly to screen and recounted healing a woman with cancer. He stated that following the healing she returned to the doctor and the “cancer had stopped growing and now it was shrinking”. Audience members also claimed to have given up their medication as a result of the receiving healing at the church.
The television regulator felt the broadcasts could as a result of watching the testimonies, and preaching, some viewers with serious medical conditions could consider discontinuing conventional medical treatment or not seek help from medical professionals at early stages of illness.
Ofcom said in their decision, “Ofcom‟s statutory duties are not to question or investigate the validity of religious belief or its consequences but to require broadcasters to comply with the standards in the Code in order to: provide adequate protection for members of the public from harmful material being broadcast; and ensure that religious programmes do not involve any improper exploitation of any susceptibilities of the audience for such programmes.” They continued, “Ofcom must have regard to the right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion of the broadcaster and audience… However, potential compliance issues may arise under the Code where such content has the potential to lead to harm or where there is any likelihood for the content to improperly exploit any susceptibilities of the audience.”
Ofcom considered the breaches of their rules particularly serious in this case and were concerned by the channel’s very poor compliance record. Today the regulator imposed a penalty of £25,000 to the parent company, The Light Academy Limited
Believe TV is a service which broadcasts Christian programming and is located in the religious section of the Sky electronic programme guide.
