THE new BBC boss has promised “radical” change and told opinionated staff to quit after the corporation’s row over leftie bias.
In an address to staff this lunchtime, Tim Davie warned the BBC must change to survive and that it doesn’t have a “right to exist”.
Rallying the troops as he took over from Lord Hall this week, he said that staff should work hard to deliver on the views of the entire nation, not a select elite.
The Beeb has faced a string of controversies over recent years – with accusations of left-wing bias and hiring a string of anti-Tory reporters.
And it has been accused of only representing the views of the London elite, rather than the people and down the country.
“I do not want a subscription BBC that serves the few,” Mr Davie said today.
He warned reporters and editors that surrounding the office with “people like us” who were only interested in “political shenanigans, internal dramas and the latest press flare-up” would damage the corporation and lead to its decline.
He said: “This is dangerous. It means that we can take our eyes off the key issue of how much value we are delivering to each member of the public, and the UK as a whole.”
The Beeb will “renew our commitment to impartiality” in a bid to win back the trust of the nation, he promised.
“I want a radical shift in our focus from the internal to the external, to focus on those we serve: the public.”
And he added: “Our research shows that too many perceive us to be shaped by a particular perspective.
“We urgently need to champion and recommit to impartiality. It is deliverable and it is essential.”
He urged them not be “driven by our own personal agendas” and to focus on telling the exciting stories happening across the nation instead.
“It is about being free from political bias, guided by the pursuit of truth, not a particular agenda”, he went on.
And in a blast at leftie broadcasters which let their views be known, he added: “If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC.”
Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis is the latest Beeb star to become embroiled in a row after she slammed Boris Johnson’s adviser Dominic Cummings in an on-air rant.
Her comments received thousands of complaints, and led to the BBC replacing her in the presenting slot until the fury calmed down.
There must no longer be a “BBC type” with managers hiring “in our own image”, he said, urging them to gather a diverse team.
And the organisation will do more digitally and focus only on unique, high-quality content rather than trying to do it all.
The speech comes just 24 hours after he announced the Beeb would finally U-turn on its decision not to allow the singing of Rule Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory at the Last Night of the Proms after a furious backlash from politicians and viewers.
Mr Davie was widely praised for the decision by MPs and campaigners who had reacted with outrage at the decision not to sing the historic songs.
In one of the first acts in charge, new BBC boss Tim Davie lifted the woke ban on Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory being sung at this year’s Last Night of the Proms.
The Sun revealed at the weekend that the new BBC boss was considering a U-turn after the “terrible damage” to the corporation.
Last week the PM had entered the row, too, by blasting the “cringing embarrassment” over Britain’s history.
The PM told Tory MPs yesterday: “I do think this country is going through an orgy of national embarrassment about some of the things that other people around the world love most about us.
“People love our traditions and our history with all its imperfections. It’s crazy for us to go around trying to censor it.
“It’s absolutely absurd and I think we should speak out loud and proud for the UK and our history.”
TheSun
