LONDON: The BBC chairman on Monday admitted the broadcaster was too slow to respond to a misleading edit of a speech by US President Donald Trump, but denied allegations that the corporation’s impartiality is being compromised from within its own board.
Senior BBC executives appeared before Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee as the publicly funded broadcaster faces one of its most significant crises in years. The director-general and head of news resigned earlier this month, and Trump has threatened to file a billion-dollar lawsuit.
“I think there’s an issue about how quickly we respond… why do we take so much time?” the chairman told lawmakers. “We should have pursued it to the end and got to the bottom of it, and not waited, as we did, until it became public discourse.”
The BBC confirmed last week that Shah had sent a letter to the White House apologising for the edit.
Shah also defended nonexecutive board member Robbie Gibb, who has faced intense scrutiny and accusations of pro-Conservative Party bias. He rejected suggestions that Gibb’s presence on the board threatens the BBC’s neutrality.
