U.K. media regulator Ofcom, which is kind of like the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S., is under fire from special interest groups for not considering a proposal that would prohibit junk
food advertising on television before 9 p.m. The groups are led by the National Heart Forum, an alliance of health, medical and consumer organizations, which is preparing an application for judicial
review against the media regulator. The group alleges that Ofcom's decision not to consider the plan was "skewed, unfair and relies on misquoting statistical evidence." It also accuses the regulator
of putting the broadcast industry's profits before children's health. "We are dismayed that Ofcom has weighed industry profits against children's health, compromised this important consultation and
forced us to take this unprecedented step of seeking a fair consultation through the courts," said Jane Landon, the deputy chief executive of the National Heart Forum. She added that the group wanted
Ofcom to consider the 9 p.m. option "fairly and equally alongside the far more limited options it has consulted on", so that parents know the full range of possibilities and Ofcom can hear their
views.
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