BBC chairman must restore impartiality reputation, say ministers
THE next chairman of the BBC must help restore the broadcaster’s reputation for impartiality, ministers believe, as they prepare to publish the job advertisement for the role within days.
Amid mounting frustration within the Government over the corporation’s news programmes, The Sunday Telegraph has been told the successful candidate will be tasked with reviving trust in its reporting.
Whitehall sources involved in the process of replacing Sir David Clementi also believe applicants for the role will need to guide the BBC through “significant reform”. This includes the potential decriminalisation of the nonpayment of the licence fee, placing further strain on finances.
It follows a fresh row last week after Lewis Goodall, Newsnight’s policy editor, was accused of “off the scale” bias for writing for a Left-wing magazine attacking the Government’s handling of the exam crisis.
While the BBC insisted the article had met its impartiality guidelines, it comes just months after presenter Emily Maitlis was reprimanded over a monologue attacking the Government’s handling of the Dominic Cummings lockdown trip to Durham.
The new chairman will be expected to work closely with Tim Davie, the new director-general, whom ministers believe is in the “mood to be radical” in shaking up the BBC.
It is understood that the £100,000-ayear role will also be “beefed up”, reflecting the Government’s desire for the next chairman to play an influential role in driving through changes.
It comes after this newspaper last week revealed that Baroness Morgan, the Tory former Cabinet minister, had been touted as a contender, with another believed to come from the tech sector. However, government insiders have played down suggestions that there is a firm favourite to land the job, insisting that ministers are waiting to see who applies before making any judgment.
A Government source said: “There is a considerable concern around impartiality and objectivity. It’s not that the BBC is Left-wing and Labour-supporting, it clearly isn’t. But lots of people think its news programmes seem only
‘Lots of people think its news programmes seem only to be interested in picking holes in the Government’
to be interested in picking holes in the Government or digging up embarrassing quotes.
“They are far less interested in listening to what ministers have to say then trying to trip them up in a way that is not entirely relevant. The job of Today is not to chase headlines, but to ask probing questions. Newsnight is no better. It’s a relatively recent trend in the last few years.”
It comes as a Conservative MP urged colleagues to boycott appearances on BBC news programmes in a bid to bounce the corporation into a U-turn on free TV licences for the over-75s and cuts to local journalism. Mark Jenkinson revealed he refused to appear on Newsnight last week due to recent decisions taken by the broadcaster. He told The Telegraph: “I think a lot of colleagues do feel similarly. It would be nice to see people to use their position in that way to try and force change.”
Previously, No10 temporarily ordered ministers to boycott Radio 4’s Today over anger at the BBC’s general election coverage.
The Government source suggested instead that the new chairman would need to work with its senior leadership to help it become “leaner, fitter, and concentrating on doing fewer things and doing them better”.