BBC figures questioned by MPs over leaked memo alleging bias

LONDON

Senior BBC leaders and former editorial advisers have been questioned by MPs after a leaked memo raised claims of bias at the corporation, prompting two high-profile resignations and a threat of legal action from US President Donald Trump.

BBC chair Samir Shah, non-executive director Sir Robbie Gibb, senior independent director Caroline Thomson, and former advisers Caroline Daniel and Michael Prescott appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee.

Prescott, the former external adviser behind the leaked memo, had accused BBC Panorama of misleading viewers in its editing of a Trump speech.

Pressed by MPs on whether he believed the broadcaster was “institutionally biased,” Prescott rejected the claim. “I don’t,” he said.

“Let’s be very clear. Tons of stuff the BBC does is world-class factual programming… I think the standard of BBC Westminster is exemplary, and that’s why I keep saying these were incipient problems. We were finding the odd problem here and there.”

But he warned that when issues were spotted, “they appeared to have systemic causes that were not addressed,” adding that “there’s real work that needs to be done at the BBC.”

Caroline Daniel, who served on the BBC standards committee, told MPs her experience was that the corporation “took issues of impartiality extremely seriously.”

She described “a continuous process, an active debate” over coverage decisions across thousands of hours of programming. “Was the BBC willing to have a proper conversation, debate and actually take action? In my view, yes,” she said.

Much of the questioning centered on the Panorama episode that triggered the resignations.

Prescott said he initially felt the program featured “more anti-Trump people” and was not “as fair and balanced as you might expect, typically from the BBC,” though he “rather enjoyed” it at the time.

Asked whether he agreed with Trump’s claim that the documentary damaged his reputation, Prescott replied that he could not think of “anything” he agreed with the former president on.

Trump previously said he intends to sue the BBC for between $1 billion and $5 billion over the editing of his speech for a documentary, despite the broadcaster having already issued an apology.

The BBC has apologized to Trump for airing a documentary on its Panorama program that spliced together two separate lines from his Jan. 6, 2021, speech but said it will not pay compensation or accept his claim of defamation.