Tuesday, November 11, 2025
What exactly is the BBC biased against?
The Guardian reports that Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, and the head of BBC News, Deborah Turness, have resigned after a former adviser to the corporation accused it of “serious and systemic” bias in its coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights.
They add that the BBC chairman, Samir Shah, is also expected to apologise for the way the speech by Donald Trump was edited for Panorama, which is fair enough, but is this affair sufficient justification to provoke a sustained witch hunt against the corporation led by the head of a foreign state and sustained by leading politicians in our own country? Is the BBC doing its job too well in provoking such a response?
Huff Post carries a useful article on why Trump's legal threats could be just hot air. They say legal experts believe that his chances of success are slim:
Media lawyer Mark Stephens told BBC Breakfast: “There are more than a few legal tripwires between President Trump and a legal victory against the BBC.
“One, a UK defamation claim is already out of time. He had one year from Monday, October 28 2024, when Panorama aired, so he’s 14 days or so out of time for a defamation claim in the UK.
“A claim in Florida would be within time, it’s a two-year limitation there, but the problem for President Trump’s lawyers is that panorama wasn’t broadcast in the USA, and BBC iPlayer isn’t available in the USA. So it’s not clear that any US court would have jurisdiction to hear the claim.
“And once you get over those procedural impediments, there are other rather ticklish problems for President Trump’s lawyers.
“Trump’s reputation has already been battered by nine judicial findings, some congressional hearings, global coverage of January 6, and he faces ongoing civil lawsuits in Washington itself, and also a special counsel report alleging a criminal scheme to make or to have civil insurrection.
“So proving that Panorama caused additional serious harm is a bit of a stretch. If it can be shown by the BBC that his reputation was already in tatters on this issue, blaming the BBC for the wreckage of that is a bit of a tough sell.”
The prospect of licence payers money being paid out to Trump to placate him is a real one, but it should not happen. The BBC should stand up to the US President and invite him to see them in court,
Meanwhile, the political response in the UK is hostile, with only one party leader prepared to stand up to Trump's bluster and defend the BBC. Sky News reports that Liberal Democrats leader, Ed Davey has argued that seeing the White House take credit for Mr Davie's downfall - and attacking the BBC - "should worry us all".
He has called on the PM and all British political leaders to stand united in "telling Trump to keep his hands off it".
Despite this leading Tory politicians and Nigel Farage (of course) have all laid into the BBC, while the response of Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy is described as 'muted'.
What are they all afraid of and why is the BBC being portrayed as some trendy, left wing monolith when the opposite is true? If the BBC is biased, it is in promoting and featuring Farage and Reform at every opportunity, in failing to be even-handed in reporting on Brexit and in failing to reflect the balance of parties in Parliament in its current affairs coverage. That is the malaise that needs to be tackled within the corporation.
It would be good if the new director-general and head of news turned out to be people with journalistic experience, who are willing and capable of moving the organisation away from these right wing positions to one of political neutrality in which genuine news stories get prominence, irrespective of who they upset, and are properly defended for that.
He has called on the PM and all British political leaders to stand united in "telling Trump to keep his hands off it".
Despite this leading Tory politicians and Nigel Farage (of course) have all laid into the BBC, while the response of Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy is described as 'muted'.
What are they all afraid of and why is the BBC being portrayed as some trendy, left wing monolith when the opposite is true? If the BBC is biased, it is in promoting and featuring Farage and Reform at every opportunity, in failing to be even-handed in reporting on Brexit and in failing to reflect the balance of parties in Parliament in its current affairs coverage. That is the malaise that needs to be tackled within the corporation.
It would be good if the new director-general and head of news turned out to be people with journalistic experience, who are willing and capable of moving the organisation away from these right wing positions to one of political neutrality in which genuine news stories get prominence, irrespective of who they upset, and are properly defended for that.
