The top boss of the BBC said that being “progressive” and “diverse” is something to be proud of in a leaked recording. The comments from the organisation’s director general Tim Davie have sparked a furious backlash from those who say that BBC should be reflective of a broad range of views – not just those who are liberal.
Mr Davie made the remarks during an online question and answer session with employees – with the Telegraph acquiring the footage.
A BBC employee asks Mr Davie how he would respond to accusations that the organisation “haven’t done enough to tackle impartiality, that we need to ‘de-woke.”
Mr Davie said: “We do a reasonably good job of walking along the joyous tightrope of the culture wars where, being progressive, diverse, doing the things we should be proud of, is not woke. But meanwhile, we’ve got to make sure that we are clearly representing views from across the board.”
Under its Royal Charter, the BBC is committed to “reflecting a wide range of subject matter and perspectives across our output as a whole and over an appropriate timeframe so that no significant strand of thought is under-represented or omitted.”
A BBC spokesman told the Telegraph the director general meant progressive “in relation to areas like market-led technological change” and that “any other interpretation is wrong”. Express.co.uk has approached the BBC for comment.
Former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel told the same publication: “The BBC once again have serious questions to answer over their political bias and culture.
“The public expects this taxpayer-funded broadcaster to be impartial, balanced and fair. But these latest revelations show they are obsessed with promoting a liberal metropolitan elitist agenda that most of the country disapproves of.”
Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, said: “Tim Davie’s comments confirm how deeply embedded Left-wing ideology is at the BBC. These comments prove the BBC is not fit for purpose and should be immediately defunded.”
In December the BBC was accused of confronting viewers with a diet of “woke bias” after new research suggested the corporation was failing to uphold its impartiality plan.
The survey looked at the licence fee-funded broadcaster’s drama and news output and campaigners claim it showed bias when covering issues around race and gender.
