Ex-BBC reporter Danny Kelly has lashed out at the broadcaster after a new report raised concerns about “risks to impartiality”.
The independent review focused on the BBC’s migrant crisis coverage and called on journalists to act on six new demands when reporting on stories about it.
Speaking on GB News, Kelly recited his experience as a BBC reporter and claimed there is a culture within the broadcaster that seeks to quell concerns about the migrant crisis.
“I used to present a very popular mid-morning show, a regional BBC local radio show on BBC Radio One in Birmingham”, he said.
“I can tell you that I had passionate conversations with my station editor because the definition of racism was an incredibly low bar and I know first hand how many people were censored, and I do mean censorship/
“People would call up my radio show and not get put on air. When I buzzed through to the production suite I would ask why, they’d say ‘oh we think he’s a bit racist’. This is hardwired into management.
“When Gary Lineker opened his doors to an asylum seeker, I was driving into Birmingham and I heard the news and I rang up my producer and said ‘I’ve got a great idea for the talking point. It’s a dead simple question. Would you let an asylum seeker in your home?’
“I was told after the station editor found out what I wanted to talk about, he said ‘no way’.
“He was worried about racists calling in. They weren’t racists.
“They were just normal, working class people with a very valid opinion.”
The report, carried out by policy expert Madeleine Sumption, acknowledged the BBC’s production of “a lot of excellent content on migration”, but also noted the existence of “risks to impartiality that point in multiple directions”.
It also clarified that there is “no consistent bias towards one point of view”.
Sir Nicholas Serota, a BBC board member and chair of the editorial guidelines and standards committee, said: “As recent events confirm migration is a highly contested area of public policy, and that is why BBC reporting on it must meet the highest editorial standards.”
He added: “This board-commissioned review finds that BBC coverage of migration has many strengths, but that it could also better reflect the topic’s complexities, as well as ensuring coverage is not overly dominated by political and high-profile voices.
“We have asked the director-general and the executive to ensure all actions suggested in the review are implemented and the editorial guidelines and standards committee of the board will monitor progress to ensure all the challenges raised are addressed.
“Along with my fellow board members I want to thank Madeleine Sumption for her thorough review and extremely helpful insights, which I hope become indispensable to newsrooms both in and outside the BBC.”
