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The handling of allegations regarding “systemic bias” by the BBC’s leadership is being regarded with utmost seriousness, according to the culture secretary. Lisa Nandy made these remarks on the BBC’s Sunday program with Laura Kuenssberg following reports that a Panorama documentary had distorted a speech made by US President Donald Trump. An internal memo leaked to The Telegraph revealed that the program had combined two segments of Trump’s speech to make it seem like he was explicitly endorsing the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021. BBC chair Samir Shah is set to provide a response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, with expectations for an apology regarding the editing of the speech.
The leaked memo was disclosed by Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser for the broadcaster’s editorial standards committee, who stepped down from his role in June. Nandy emphasized the seriousness of the Panorama controversy, asserting that there have been various grave allegations made against the BBC, with the most severe being claims of inherent bias in how contentious topics are covered. She expressed confidence in Shah and BBC director general Tim Davie’s handling of the situation. Prescott’s concerns centered on the documentary titled Trump: A Second Chance?, produced for the BBC by October Films Ltd.
In the edited version of Trump’s speech broadcast by Panorama, he was portrayed as saying, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.” Notably, these two portions of the speech were over 50 minutes apart. Trump’s repeated use of the words “fight” or “fighting” a total of 20 times in the speech was highlighted. Nandy revealed her intent to await Shah’s response to the select committee before considering further actions or discussions regarding the matter. She highlighted two main concerns related to the BBC, including inconsistent language usage in reporting and the blending of news with opinion.
Alongside the Panorama documentary controversy, the BBC has faced scrutiny over various other issues in recent times. Reports indicated that Mr. Prescott had raised issues regarding bias in BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict. In response, a BBC spokesperson acknowledged past errors and emphasized efforts to rectify them. Concerns were also raised about the BBC’s coverage of trans issues, with a specific incident involving presenter Martine Croxall altering a script live on air, changing “pregnant people” to “women,” which led to impartiality complaints being upheld by the BBC
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