MPs to question senior BBC figures after resignations and Trump row

On Monday, senior figures in the BBC's recent squabbles will be questioned by MPs. For the first time when he addresses a House of Commons committee, Michael Prescott, a former editorial advisor who raised doubts about BBC coverage, including Panorama's editing of a Donald Trump address, will testify on the issue in public for the first. Prescott's internal memo was leaked to the media, resulting in the departures of the BBC's director general and head of news earlier this month. Samir Shah, the BBC chairman who is under scrutiny for his investigation into the matter, as well as fellow board members Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson will testify.

'Governance issues'

From 15:30 GMT, Caroline Daniel, another former editorial consultant, will testify before parliament's Culture, Media, and Sport Committee. They are expected to face tough questions from MPs, research the BBC and its journalists, and give their accounts of events behind the scenes. Shumeet Banerji, one of the board members, resigned on Friday after having governance issues at the top of the company, whichBBC media editor Katie Razzall said

looks like a direct critique of Banerji's resignation makes Shah's committee hearing

even more critical

on Monday, Razzall said. Sir Robbie, a former BBC senior editor and director of communications for Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, is also under scrutiny. Following a scathing review after Prescott's memo was revealed by the Telegraph, BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness resigned. In a subsequent letter to the parliamentary committee, Shah apologized for the

error of judgment

when two portions of Trump's address on January 20, 2021 were edited together in an episode of Panorama. Prescott's memo sparked questions about other

troubling issuesincludingsystemic bias

in BBC Arabic's coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and one-sided coverage of trans issues, among other

problems

such Davie's resignation, according to committee chairwoman Caroline Dinenage, was

regrettable,butrestoring confidence in the organization must come first.

The BBC Board must now begin the long process of rebuilding the company's image both nationally and abroad,

she said, after the harm caused by what has been a steady stream of crises and missteps.

Political influence 'a concern'

The most recent crisis has sparked a broader discussion about the BBC's future and the state of its news output, including allegations of institutional bias and political meddling. According to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, the perception of political influence isa problemand thatpolitical appointments to the board of the BBC have harmed confidence and faith in the BBC's impartiality. She has promised to investigate the subject as part of the corporation's forthcoming charter review. Sir Robbie was appointed to the BBC board by the Conservative government in 2021 and has been accused of interfering in editorial decisions. Shah, Davie and Thomson, the BBC's former chief operating officer, is a member of the BBC board's editorial guidelines and standards committee (EGSC). The EGSC's

processes and how it ensures that output adheres to the BBC's editorial policies

in Monday's session, according to the parliamentary committee. AFTer being appointed as the BBC's first external editorial experts in 2022, Prescott, a former Sunday Times political editor, and Daniel, formerly a senior FT assistant editor, urged the EGSC to investigate "editorial risks and issues. The Guardian announced on Sunday that the BBC was planning to extend the EGSC as part of reforms, which is believed to be true. It is likely that having a larger cast will help it better analyze issues and ensure no one individual can rule proceedings. After complaints that the job is too much for one person, the Guardian also announced that the BBC will look to add a new deputy director general role. There have been deputy director generals in the company before. The Guardian has not commented on the Guardian's findings. The interview takes place as the BBC waits to see if Trump will take legal action after threatening to sue the corporation for between $1 billion and £759. 8m) and $5bn (£3. 8bn) over the Panorama edit.