Back in May, a UK radio station made a grave error, accidentally announcing the death of King Charles. Radio Caroline took 30 minutes to issue an apology after going through the protocol when the monarch does pass away, and it immediately meant that the radio watchdog, Ofcom, had to step in.
The media regulator in the UK has now issued a report after the incident. It’s a harsh verdict, especially as more information about the reason the mistake happened has come to light.
The Incident Happened ‘Out of Curiosity’
According to reports from Radio Caroline, a staffer started the protocol “out of curiosity.” The staffer was on site at the radio station, while the broadcast was being played from the presenter’s remote location. It led to a huge miscommunication, as the staffer was curious about what was in the files.
The Ofcom report shares that these files have a “set of strict instructions” that everyone at Radio Caroline must abide by. After playing the files, it stopped the entire broadcast and the staffer left the building after realizing what they had done. It meant that the presenter had to call in a station engineer after realizing what was going on with the stream.
Fortunately, the engineer already knew what had happened, but it took 30 minutes for the presenter to issue an apology on the air and correct the mistake. This was something else Ofcom looked into.
Ofcom Rules on Two Breaches of Conduct
According to Ofcom, not one but two rules were breached in the entire incident. The first was due to reporting with accuracy and impartiality. It is one of the biggest rules in broadcast to ensure the people get the correct information at all times, especially with something of the scale of a king’s death.
Not only were significant mistakes made in the reporting, but the handling of the situation afterward did not meet the watchdog’s standards. The other breach was in the acknowledgment and correction on air. It shouldn’t have taken 30 minutes for action to be taken.
According to Radio Caroline, it continues to state that it “took the matter very seriously” and that action was taken “as soon as they could.” The station also shares that the staffer has since been “reprimanded” for their actions, while everyone at the station was reminded of the procedures that are in place. While it was the mistake of one person, the Licensee is the one at fault, as the responsibility to follow procedures is on them.
There have been no statements from Radio Caroline since the issue of Ofcom’s findings. While the breach has been noted, there is no information on action taken against the radio station.
