Reform UK turns to YouTube to sidestep UK broadcast rules – The New Arab

Reform UK turns to YouTube to sidestep UK broadcast rules  The New Arab

Reform UK’s new media venture will be bound by the new Online Safety Act, but that’s unlikely to reign in the party’s digital output, experts say. Reform UK's new YouTube venture could be "massively disruptive" to British political communications and news reporting, digital media consultant Matt Capon told The New Arab, as the party prepares to launch its own broadcasting platform following a string of controversies over racist and anti-Muslim rhetoric involving its representatives. The far-right party, led by Nigel Farage, is planning to launch Reform TV on YouTube, with Reform sources telling The Times that the platform was chosen partly because it is not subject to the same Ofcom broadcasting rules governing traditional television channels.

Capon warned that the venture could find a significant audience and further blur the line between political campaigning and news-style broadcasting, allowing Reform to communicate directly with voters without many of the rules imposed on conventional broadcasters. "I think they'll find an audience for it, I'm really sad to say," Capon told The New Arab. The prospect of a Reform-controlled broadcasting operation is likely to attract particular scrutiny given repeated controversies surrounding figures associated with the party. Reform representatives and candidates have faced a series of allegations over racist, antisemitic and anti-Muslim remarks, while some party figures have also faced scrutiny over links to