‘Implosion of editorial control’ Tom Bower blasts BBC amid John Simpson impartiality row

‘Implosion of editorial control’ Tom Bower blasts BBC amid John Simpson impartiality row
Georgia Pearce

By Georgia Pearce


Published: 27/09/2023

- 10:57

Tom Bower has hit out at the BBC's Director General Tim Davie, after correspondent John Simpson shared a post on social media discussing Donald Trump's ranking in the US polls.

Speaking on Dan Wootton Tonight, the journalist and author shared his thoughts on the latest impartiality row to hit the BBC.

Bower said: “I mean, it’s always been filled with people with opinion. What has happened really is that the so-called Director General, Tim Davie, has actually no control, editorial control over what his staff are saying.

“So he failed immediately with Gary Lineker’s recall, and with Gary Lineker, he was actually prepared to let the man in the end dictate how he was going to tweet and what he was going to tweet. But really what is really worrying is that they don't want to accept visibly Trump, that it isn't some sort of small cabal that would vote for him. And I'm very anti Trump. I think it would be terrible if he'd be the next president. Especially if he’ll be in prison. But what's apparent is it's the electorate. And this is what the BBC doesn't want to accept, that somehow the polls show that Trump is ahead because the people of America for one reason or another at the moment favour Trump over Biden."

Bower continued: “And really what's happening with the BBC is it's an implosion of editorial control. The other day when Nick Robinson interviewed Sunak on the Today program, he was so aggressive and actually at one stage said to the Prime Minister you're taking too long, really, in answering the questions. I've got so many questions to go through. In other words, my questions are more important than your answers.

“And the bias is all the time coming through because the Director General, the Editor in Chief Tim Davie, doesn't assert his control. So, Mr. Simpson, I think it's just another example of what is happening, the BBC is actually running out of control. It needs to actually be brought back to understand it's going to be impartial and deliver facts, not opinions in that way.”

Watch the discussion in full above.

Tune in to Dan Wootton Tonight, Monday to Thursday from 9pm, only on GB News.

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