Huw’s dressing down by BBC in slavery row
BBC News presenter Huw Edwards is ‘being spoken to’ by bosses after he wrote that he felt ‘uneasy’ about a museum removing a portrait of an Army general due to his links to slavery.
A picture of Sir Thomas was taken down this week after more than 100 years on display at the National Museum Wales.
The museum said the image – which labelled the slave owner a hero – was removed to ‘re-frame’ his legacy.
But the BBC’s News at Ten host, who last year was paid up to £429,999, wrote on Twitter: ‘As a journalist I feel uneasy about this element of “censoring” history. Should not Picton remain on display as a reminder to Wales of an aspect of its past – no matter how disgraceful?’
His comments come as the BBC clamps down on breaches of impartiality, including in the way its news staff express their views on social media.
It emerged yesterday that the BBC is talking to Edwards, 60, about his post in relation to its guidelines around impartiality. A spokesman said: ‘We are discussing this with Huw.’
BBC rules say that staff whose work requires them to be impartial should not ‘express a personal opinion on matters of public policy, politics, or “controversial subjects”.’
The picture of Picton has now been put in storage while two artists with Trinidadian roots have been asked to provide greater context on his life. The museum is calling the project Reframing Picton.
As governor of Trinidad, Picton abused slaves he owned and was considered a tyrant by 19th century standards. The portrait reflected his status as the highest-ranking officer to be killed at the Battle of Waterloo, in 1815.