The head of the BBC stated that Gary Linker’s tweets are “a work in progress” while expressing his full support for the football analyst.
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Given BBC impartiality standards, the Match of the Day host and former England striker has been criticized for discussing his political opinions online.
Gary Lineker, 61, recently criticized politicians for allowing excessive amounts of sewage to be deposited, which pollutes Britain’s waterways and beaches.
Tim Davie, the 55-year-old director general of the BBC, told the parliamentary select committee on technology, culture, media, and sport that he supported Gary Lineker and that he adhered to BBC principles.
Mr. Davie stated, “I’ve spoken with Gary. He has sent thousands of tweets, and his behavior, in terms of where he is, is significantly improved. This conversation continues.
Tim Davie, 55, insisted that the BBC was doing a “very decent job” of maintaining objectivity.
Gary Lineker, host of Match of the Day, has been criticized for tweeting his political opinions.
Neil Henderson, a journalist for the BBC, apologized for questioning Gary Lineker’s neutrality following his tweet about sewage.
“I strongly endorse Gary. I believe he is a fantastic presenter, but he is still working on where he draws the line.
But we’ve had a productive discussion, and I believe he knows the rules.
Last month, Lineker drew notice when he tweeted about the waste levels in Britain’s waterways and criticized lawmakers.
He tweeted, “As a politician, how could you vote for dumping sewage into our seas under any circumstances? Unfathomable!’
Neil Henderson, a BBC journalist, responded angrily to the tweet, accusing Lineker of violating impartiality standards.
Mr. Henderson eventually removed his response and issued an apology to the football star.
MPs questioned Mr. Davie about the event, with Conservative Steve Brine saying that Lineker’s political ideas were outside the scope of his BBC broadcasting duties.
Mr. Brine stated, ‘We pay Gary Lineker £1.35 million year; he’s down £10,000 from last year, but I’m confident he’ll be able to pay his energy bill.
Mr. Davie stated that the BBC did not exhibit any bias in booking comedian Joe Lycett for Laura Kuenssberg’s maiden program on the prime Sunday morning time slot. Kuenssberg, Cleo Watson, Joe Lycett, and Emily Thornberry, from left to right
Joe Lycett joked that he was “very right-wing” and that Truss’ live interview on the show made him feel “reassured.”
“He is an excellent football analyst, but I don’t care what he thinks about water quality.”
Mr. Davie suggested that Match of the Day commentator Lineker’s opinions on party politics on Twitter have softened in recent years.
He stated, “In terms of his entrée into party politics, I believe we’ve seen a tremendous improvement from where he was a few years ago.”
The position of prohibiting people from engaging in any issue-related tweeting is likely incorrect.
In addition, the committee questioned the director general over the issue surrounding comic Joe Lycett’s appearance on Laura Kuenssberg’s new Sunday politics program.
The comedian’s ironic applause and caustic backing of Liz Truss during her appearance on the program led to charges of bias and faulty decision-making.
Mr. Davie described Joe Lycett’s sarcastic performance on the program as’slightly amusing,’ adding, ‘You can dispute the booking’s merits. He might not be the next reservation we make.’
Former Newsnight host Emily Maitlis accused the BBC of caving in too quickly to Government concerns regarding her controversial monologue at the Edinburgh Television Festival about Dominic Cummings’ lockdown visit to Barnard Castle.
He stated that anchor Laura Kuenssberg exhibited exceptional behavior in a somewhat challenging position. We proceed.’
The director general vehemently denied charges made by former Newsnight host Emily Maitlis that the BBC capitulated too quickly in response to complaints from Downing Street regarding her contentious Dominic Cummings monologue in 2020.
Mr. Davie acknowledged that Ms. Maitlis was a “excellent journalist” but argued that rules had been broken.
Richard Sharp, chairman of the BBC, adding that Ms. Maitlis was “absolutely wrong” to assert that “proper procedure was not followed.”
Mr. Sharp also disputed Ms. Maitlis’ previous assertion that Robbie Gibb, BBC board member and former No. 10 communications director under Theresa May, was a “active agent” of the Conservative Party.
He stated, “That is just incorrect.” It was one of the mistakes Emily Maitlis made in her speech, and I am quite sorry that she made that specific point.’
Mr. Davie told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, when asked about the impartiality of the BBC’s material as a whole, “We do have hundreds of thousands of hours of output… and overall, I think we’re delivering well, and it’s vital that we’re proportional about this.”
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