Ofcom will not investigate Sky News discussion on Orlando massacre

In the direct aftermath of the Orlando attack last June, Guardian columnist Owen Jones was invited onto Sky News to discuss the paper reviews and the massacre with Mark Loghurst and Julia Hartley-Brewer.

During the live discussion however Jones stormed off the TV set when his two interlocutors refused to accept the fact that the attack was homophobic.

The TV incident elicited hundreds of spectators to complain and take offence over the hosts stand who, disapproving of Jones’ arguments, insisted that the Orlando shooter Omar Mateen was targeting “human beings” rather than members of the LGBT community.

According to The Guardian, media regulator Ofcom have announced that they won’t be investigating the discussion despite receiving over 250 complaints.

A spokesperson for Ofcom said, “We assessed a number of complaints that Mark Longhurst and Julia Hartley-Brewer caused offence by appearing to dismiss Owen Jones’ view that the attack on a nightclub in Orlando specifically targeted the LGBT community.”

“However, after careful consideration, we won’t be taking the matter forward for investigation. We found that neither person responded to Owen Jones in a way that caused unjustified offence. Both were simply attempting to highlight the impact of terror attacks on society more broadly.”

Own Jones later wrote about the incident, saying it was a “instinctive reaction to an unpleasant and untenable situation.”

You can watch the discussion below:

Words: Salomé Baudino

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