BBC must fight to restore trust, Nandy tells MPs
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said the BBC must fight to rebuild trust after criticism that the Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing out a speech by Donald Trump.
He said a review of the broadcaster’s charter would ensure the BBC was “genuinely accountable” and defend it as a “national institution”.
BBC director general Tim Davie had previously told staff “we need to fight for our journalism” after the US president threatened to sue the company for $1bn (£760m).
A leaked internal BBC memo stated that the Panorama film misled viewers by stitching together parts of Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, making it appear as if he was openly encouraging the Capitol Hill riot. BBC chief Samir Shah apologized.
Davie resigned along with BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness on Sunday following mounting pressure over the memo.
He told staff: “We have made some mistakes that will cost us, but we have to fight on” and added that “this narrative will not just be given by our enemies, this is our story”.
He said the BBC had “had a hard time but it has done a good job and that is more effective than any newspaper, more effective than any armament”.
Later on Tuesday, Nandy thanked Davie and Turness for their work in leading the BBC through “stormy times”.
He warned MPs who attacked the broadcaster to “think about what’s at stake”.
He told the Commons: “There is a fundamental difference between raising serious concerns about editorial errors and members of this House launching a sustained attack on the institution itself, because the BBC is not just a broadcaster, it is a national institution that belongs to all of us.”
The BBC “has faced criticism from all quarters for its coverage of highly contentious and controversial issues” [has been] accused of giving too much air time to certain parties and too little time for them”.
The BBC’s contract expires at the end of 2027 and the decennial review process will begin shortly and will help the BBC “renew its mission for the modern age”, he said.
Nandy said there were concerns about how long it would take for the BBC to respond to criticism that undermines trust.
He acknowledged the “serious concerns and failings” of the BBC Arabic Service raised in the note, but called for strong support for the World Service, which he said was “a light on the hill for people in dark places”.
The BBC’s names on the corporation’s broadcasting rules and standards committee will face questions at a hearing in the coming weeks.
Shah and board members Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson are expected to attend a hearing organized by the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee.
Former editorial standards consultants Michael Prescott and Caroline Daniel, who wrote the leaked memo, will also be invited to give evidence.
Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said there were “too many examples of bias” at the BBC and that the company needed “institutional change”.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the BBC “should be valued” as an institution but “consistently lets license fee payers down”.
Trump has threatened legal action if the BBC does not “fully and fairly withdraw” its Panorama program by Friday. The company said it would respond in due course.
Neither Davie nor the BBC chief mentioned Trump’s legal threat during Tuesday’s staff meeting.
Downing Street said it was “a matter for the BBC”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It is clearly not the government’s role to comment on any ongoing legal matters.” he said.
“Our position is clear, the BBC is independent and it is the company’s duty to answer questions about editorial decisions.”
Asked whether there were concerns the issue would affect Sir Keir Starmer’s contacts with Trump, the spokesman said the pair had a “very strong” relationship.
The spokesman was unsure whether the BBC should apologize directly to the president.
