Marmite figure ‘who never takes blame for blunders’
NICKNAMED ‘Macavity’ by critics
for his ability – like T.S. Eliot’s fictional cat – to evade the blame for crises, Jonathan Munro has been described by those who question his suitability to be the next BBC director of news as a ‘divisive’ character.
He has recently become embroiled in the row that has strained relations between the Corporation and the Government over the appointment of Leftleaning Jess Brammar, who is about to be given a job working for Jamie Angus, one of Mr Munro’s rivals for the director of news post.
Mr Munro has close links to Ms Brammar. She worked for him when he was the deputy editor of ITV News, a post that he left in 2014 to become the BBC’s head of newsgathering.
While the BBC insists the recruitment process has been fair and open, some within the organisation claim the post was regarded as ‘a job for Jess’.
Described as a ‘liberal Leftie’, Mr Munro lives in a £900,000 farmhouse in the village of Maidwell, near
Northampton, with his wife Penny and their children. He is well-known in the television industry for the parties that he throws at his home and is close to the former BBC editorial director Kamal Ahmed and Gavin Allen, the BBC’s head of news output.
His allies are also said to include Andrew Roy, head of foreign news; assistant editor Daniel Fisher; Justin Rowlatt, chief environment correspondent and John Whitney, deployment editor.
One BBC staffer said: ‘Jonathan has a gang. If you’re in it, then you’ll do well. If you’re not, then you don’t. You either love him or you loathe him.’