First one is irrelevant: McCartney refused to deny he was fund-raising for a terrorist organisation that was literally bombing the UK at the time. That, and the

First one is irrelevant: McCartney refused to deny he was fund-raising for a terrorist organisation that was literally bombing the UK at the time. That, and the fact the majority of people living in Ulster wanted to remain part of the UK (and still do, but demographic changes mean that might not be the case in a generation), meant it was a slam dunk that the BBC would ban it to prevent offence that could lead to an incitement of violence at a delicate time. Also note that wasn't a regulator taking action, it was not the government, it was a broadcaster coming up to a charter renewal conversation. Complain about Auntie BBC if you must, but not a fault of regulators. The second one is irrelevant in the modern context: the IBA hasn't been a regulator for over 30 years, and had a different set of guidelines and authority to Ofcom. It is unlikely that a fair and balanced account where a reasonable right to reply was offered to all parties would be banned from broadcast today. The third one is a ban under OSA, and has nothing to do with media regulators, its about the scope of acts like the OSA, and its appropriate use.