'Faith healing' TV channel fined £25k by Ofcom

A faith healing television channel has today been fined £25,000 by media regulator Ofcom over a series of breaches, including a televangelist who claimed that he could help individuals with serious illnesses using "miracle olive oil soap".

Believe TV, operated by The Light Academy Ltd, broadcasts a schedule of 'faith' programmes on Sky, including "testimony" from members of churches about how their health, financial and personal problems have been alleviated through healing from a pastor or other religious leader.

However, a series of programmes aired on the channel between December 21, 2010 and February 1, 2011 featured breaches so serious that Ofcom has opted to impose a £25,000 penalty payable to the HM Paymaster General.

The content included televangelists, pastors and religious leaders making claims about the effectiveness of their healing techniques.

In one sequence, televangelist Paul Lewis preached directly to the camera about the healing power of using his "Miracle Olive Oil Soap".

Another featured Bishop Climate Irungu showcasing the "testimonies" of his congregation members in a way that "clearly encouraged" viewers to believe that treatment of serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and heart problems could be boosted by "being anointed with a product such as olive oil soap, Ribena or oil".

Ofcom said: "Given that the content was also soliciting a response from viewers and such individuals experiencing serious illnesses may be vulnerable to the healing claims being made, Ofcom found there was a material risk that susceptible members of the audience may be exploited by the material broadcast on Believe TV."

Ofcom further noted that other content featuring Paul Lewis on Believe TV and other channels had caused previous breaches of the broadcasting and advertising codes.

"The finding also referred to previous decisions by both the Advertising Standards Authority and Ofcom concerning content containing similar claims by Paul Lewis which had been broadcast on other channels," said the regulator.

"When Ofcom had previously recorded breaches against Paul Lewis content broadcast on other channels in 2007 and 2008, Ofcom stated that the breaches... were very serious because the promotions of the Paul Lewis products improperly exploited the susceptibilities of vulnerable viewers of these religious channels."

The regulator criticised The Light Academy for allowing previous breaches to be repeated, and said that the licencee showed "overall very poor compliance" which "placed vulnerable viewers directly at risk of harm and exploitation".

Despite the fine, Ofcom said that it will not revoke the Believe TV broadcasting licence as it recently did with Iran-operated broadcaster Press TV.

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