BBC losing trust with slow response to crises, Ofcom chief warns

Times

13 hours ago

The BBC needs to 'get a grip quicker' when controversies break out, the broadcasting regulator's head said, five months after it launched an investigation into its shelved Gaza documentary.
Dame Melanie Dawes, chief executive of Ofcom, said there is a risk that public confidence in the BBC is starting to decline two weeks after it was forced to apologise for broadcasting a Glastonbury performance by the punk rock duo Bob Vylan in which its frontman led the crowd in chants of 'death, death to the IDF'.
Dawes said it was 'very frustrating' that the BBC has scored 'some own goals' in its recent output. 'It does start to erode public trust,' she told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg.
'Above all what frustrates me is that when these things go wrong, it can take a long time for the BBC to see that something's happened when everybody else [could] within a matter of hours. It needs to get a grip quicker, get these reports and investigations concluded sooner, otherwise there is a real risk of a loss of confidence in the BBC, which is a shame.'
In March, Lord Grade of Yarmouth, the Ofcom chair, wrote to the BBC to warn that the regulator may intervene if it is not satisfied with its internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone after it emerged that its 14-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
A BBC spokesman said the findings of the review, which is being conducted by Peter Johnston, the corporation's director of editorial complaints and reviews, will be published as soon as possible. 'It is vital that this work is done as quickly as possible, but it must also be thorough and follow a proper process,' they added.
The findings are expected to be released next week, within days of a separate review into the behaviour of MasterChef's Gregg Wallace.
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An inquiry into the presenter's behaviour on the programme is expected to be published by Banijay UK, the production company behind the show, this month.
Lewis Silkin, a law firm, has been examining the allegations about Wallace — the most serious of which he has denied — for seven months.
After the Glastonbury debacle, the BBC said it will no longer broadcast live sets that are deemed 'high risk'.
Last week The Times revealed that Lorna Clarke, the BBC director of music, is understood to have stepped back from her day-to-day duties while the broadcaster explores the circumstances surrounding Bob Vylan's set.
Days after it was broadcast, the corporation said that it 'deeply regretted' its decision. 'We want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community,' a spokesman said at the time. 'We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.'
On Tuesday, Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, will face questions from reporters as the broadcaster publishes its annual report.
Dawes was interviewed on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg before an appearance by Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life in 2017 after viewing distressing material on social media.
Dawes said the government may have to consider further legislation to protect children from chatbots powered by artificial intelligence, after criticism of loopholes in the Online Safety Act 2023.
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'There are some forms of new AI which are going to be covered, but there are some that may not,' Dawes said. 'As the internet keeps changing, as new forms of AI come in very rapidly, there may need to be some changes to the legislation to cover that.'