PTI | London
The BBC’s Indian-origin chairman, Samir Shah, on Monday apologised on behalf of Britain’s public broadcaster for an “error of judgment” in the way a speech by US President Donald Trump was edited for a documentary.
Shah’s apology came in a letter addressed to the chair of the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee following days of raging controversy, which led to the resignation of BBC director-general Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness on Sunday night.
The documentary in question involved an episode of BBC’s ‘Panorama’ programme aired last year, which appeared to show Trump make a direct call to his supporters to storm the Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.
“The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement,” said Shah, in his letter addressed to the House of Commons committee.
It was a leaked memo written by former adviser Michael Prescott that the splicing together of separate parts of Trump’s speech was first criticised.
The BBC confirmed that it has received a letter from Trump threatening legal action against the broadcaster over the issue.
On his Truth Social platform, the US President had reacted to the resignation of Davie and Turness by dubbing them “very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a presidential election”. “Since the publication of Prescott’s memo, this issue has led to over 500 complaints,” the letter states.
. These are now being dealt with in the normal way. It has also prompted further reflection by the BBC. The conclusion of that deliberation is that we accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action,” Shah’s letter states.
In the same leaked memo, Prescott had also claimed there was an “anti-Israel bias” in BBC Arabic’s coverage.
“The board will commit to revisiting each and every item set out in Michael Prescott’s note, and take further action where appropriate. We will be transparent about the conclusions we reach and the actions taken,” Shah informed Parliament.
“I would like to assure you and the Committee that I am absolutely clear that the BBC must champion impartiality,” he said, in the letter addressed to the Committee chair, Conservative Party MP Caroline Dinenage.
“I will personally ensure that the BBC continues to take the necessary actions in the future to ensure the BBC retains the trust and confidence of the public we serve. I’d like to conclude by restating the importance of high quality, independent journalism in today’s polarised society,” he said.
Shah added that he saw the BBC’s “sacred job” as meeting an increasing need for the public to be informed in a way that’s “impartial, truthful and based on evidence they can trust”.
As Chair, Shah is responsible for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) board upholding and protecting the independence of the broadcaster and making its decisions in the public interest.
He took charge as the first Indian-origin media executive in the 160,000-pounds a year role in March this year for a four-year term.
Born in Aurangabad, Shah came to England in 1960 and has previously been the head of current affairs and political programmes at the BBC. He was honoured with a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for services to television and heritage.
“The BBC is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions we have made to global culture and one of our strongest calling cards on soft power,” he said, at the time of his appointment earlier this year.
The BBC, as a UK taxpayer-funded licence fee supported media corporation, is governed by a Charter.
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who oversees the Charter on behalf of the government, took to social media on Sunday to describe the BBC as “one of our most important national institutions”.
“Now more than ever, the need for trusted news and high quality programming is essential to our democratic and cultural life, and our place in the world. As a government, we will support the Board as it manages this transition and ensure that the Charter Review is the catalyst that helps the BBC to adapt to this new era and secures its role at the heart of national life for decades to come,” she said.
