* Holmes questioned rejection of coronavirus-5G link
* More than 400 people complained
* Regulator assessing the ITV programme
(Adds background)
LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - Britain's biggest free-to-air
broadcaster ITV came under fire on Tuesday after one of
its leading presenters said no one knew whether a conspiracy
theory that 5G masts help spread the novel coronavirus was true
or not.
Some telecoms masts in Britain were attacked and engineers
abused as the conspiracy theory, which scientists, phone
companies and the government say is completely untrue and
without any basis in fact, spread across social media.
"What I don't accept is mainstream media immediately
slapping that down as not true when they don't know it's not
true," Eamonn Holmes, a veteran presenter on ITV, said on 'This
Morning' on Monday.
"It's very easy to say it is not true because it suits the
state narrative," he said.
Britain's media regulator Ofcom said it had received 419
complaints following the comment and was assessing the programme
in question as a priority.
Holmes on Tuesday sought to clarify his comments, saying
there was no connection between the national health crisis and
5G and to suggest otherwise was wrong and possibly dangerous.
"Every theory relating to such a connection has been proven
to be false and we would like to emphasise that," he said on
This Morning. "However, many people are rightly concerned and
are looking for answers, and that's simply what I was trying to
impart yesterday."
British broadcasters such as ITV, the BBC and Comcasts's
Sky are regulated by Ofcom in order to guarantee that
they meet certain standards.
Britain's cabinet officer minister, Michael Gove, and senior
health officials have described the 5G conspiracy theory as
dangerous fake news that could threaten connectivity at a time
when it is needed more than ever.
"The idea that COVID-19 is caused by 5G mobile phone signals
is complete rubbish," said Simon Clarke, an expert in cellular
microbiology at the University of Reading.
Telecoms companies including the biggest EE have said
staff have been abused and services disrupted following an arson
attack at a tower in Birmingham in central England and other
attacks around the country.
Vodafone, the world's second biggest mobile
operator, has described it as a matter of national security. UK
boss Nick Jeffery described his engineers as heroes and urged
people not to spread "utterly baseless" stories online.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; Additional reporting by Kate
Kelland; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Alexander Smith)