Samir Shah, the chairman of the BBC, spent Monday answering some of the toughest questions he’s faced in years as he appeared before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport committee.
At the centre of the grilling was a leaked memo that criticised the corporation’s impartiality, particularly over a controversial Panorama edit of former US President Donald Trump.
The episode, broadcast a week before the 2024 US election, included spliced clips of a Trump speech in which it appeared he urged supporters to march to the US Capitol.
The edit later triggered threats of a lawsuit from Trump for up to $5 billion, and prompted the resignation of two senior BBC figures, including director general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.
Shah Admits BBC Was Slow to Act
When MPs asked why the BBC board had not apologised sooner, Shah acknowledged the corporation had been too slow.
“Looking back, I think we should have made the decision earlier.
I think in May, as it happens,” he said.
He added that the organisation struggles with the speed of its response.
“Why do we take so much time? Why do we not act quickly enough? This was another illustration of that,” he said.
Shah emphasised that the BBC needed to fully understand what went wrong before issuing an apology, noting that it was not simply a matter of editing, but about the impression the edit created.
The Apology and Its Delays
It took nearly a week after the memo was leaked for the BBC to apologise.
Shah told MPs he wanted to ensure the apology was precise and fully substantiated.
“Getting the right answer is really important… This is a very, very important error, and I needed to make sure what I was apologising for was fully sourced and fully right,” he said.
The BBC has already admitted the editing gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action,” but Trump remains intent on pursuing legal action.
The broadcaster has outlined five arguments in response to Trump’s legal threat, disputing any basis for a defamation claim.
Resignations and Internal Struggles
Shah also addressed the resignations of senior executives.
He praised Turness for taking responsibility but said he disagreed with Davie stepping down.
“I do not think the director-general should have resigned,” he said, adding that the board wished he had stayed and that he retained their full confidence.
Leaked Memo Sparks Debate Over Systemic Problems
Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, revealed he wrote the leaked memo because he spotted “incipient problems” within the corporation that were getting worse.
He denied any ideological bias in his report, stating that had it been Kamala Harris misrepresented instead of Donald Trump, he would have acted the same.
Prescott emphasised that the memo was written out of loyalty to the BBC, which he described as employing talented professionals and producing world-class programming.
But he warned that the problems he observed were systemic, and the BBC had not treated them as such.
Reflections on Bias and Oversight
While Prescott did not believe the BBC was institutionally biased, he acknowledged the challenges of spotting personal biases.
He praised Davie for his leadership but suggested he had a “blind spot” when it came to editorial failings.
On the Panorama episode itself, Prescott downplayed its impact on Trump’s reputation, noting, “Probably not… I can’t think of anything I agree with Donald Trump on.”
What Comes Next
The BBC remains under intense scrutiny from both the public and regulators, including the US Federal Communications Commission.
Legal action from Trump is ongoing, and questions about the corporation’s internal processes, speed of response, and editorial oversight continue to dominate discussions.
Shah’s testimony has made clear that while the BBC acknowledges errors, it is still grappling with how best to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
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