Latest news with #impartiality
Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
It was liberating to call Trump a liar, says BBC's Jeremy Bowen
Donald Trump is a bare-faced liar and it feels liberating to say so, Jeremy Bowen has declared during a discussion about BBC impartiality. Bowen said that while the BBC is committed to impartial reporting, it is important to tell viewers empirical truths such as correcting the US president's 'nonsense' claim that Ukraine started the war with Russia. Speaking at the Hay Festival, the BBC's long-serving Middle East editor discussed the efforts by President Trump and JD Vance, the vice-president, to humiliate Volodomyr Zelensky during their Oval Office showdown in February. A Western official had described the encounter to Bowen as 'a diplomatic mugging'. 'Breathtakingly obvious' Bowen said: 'Everyone saw the way they hectored him, humiliated him. They were coming out with absolute nonsense, things like 'Zelensky started the war'. 'So I made a point on air – on the Today programme, the 10 O'Clock News, the website and other places – I made this point to the management, saying we have to use the right language. I said it's very important to use the word 'lie'. It's not 'this is how Trump works, it's the art of the deal…' 'I said, no, he's the president of the United States, what he says matters and it's our job, if he comes up with something that's not just an exaggeration but a bare-faced lie, to say that. 'It was actually rather liberating. I was quite gobsmacked, when I started doing it, that I got tons of messages from people – members of the public and people who are in the media business – saying, 'well done, Jeremy, for saying that.' 'And I was thinking, God, it seems breathtakingly obvious we should be saying that. I'm a big fan of direct language.' Bowen said his branding of the president as a liar did not clash with the BBC's commitment to impartiality. He added: 'If I'm saying things on air, I need to feel justified that they're based on empirical observations. Impartiality does not mean, 'well, he says that and he says that and the truth lies somewhere in between' Calling Hamas terrorists does not 'illuminate' Bowen went on to defend the BBC's decision not to use the word 'terrorists' when referring to Hamas. He said: 'The point about using the word: people apply it in all kinds of different ways. It doesn't necessarily make you wiser. For me, it's better to explain what people are doing rather than simply tag them. 'The old phrase, 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter' – the leadership of pre-state Israel, when they were fighting the British, were regarded as terrorists. 'The two prime terrorists in the eyes of the British in the 1940s were Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, who headed organisations that were carrying weapons against the British. 'Begin's organisation blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which was the headquarters of the British at the time. They later became the prime ministers of their country and were welcomed to No 10 Downing Street. 'Using those words does not illuminate, in my view, so I very much support BBC policy, but I know it's controversial.' Bowen also criticised the Israeli government for barring foreign journalists from entering Gaza. He said of visiting a kibbutz attacked on Oct 7: 'The Israelis took us in there because, quite justifiably and rightly, they wanted us to see what Hamas had done. It was important to see that. Hamas had done appalling, appalling things. 'Question: why won't they let us go into Gaza? It's because there are things that they have done there they don't want us to see. It is all we can conclude.'
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
This goes beyond Gary Lineker. The BBC risks coming apart over the Gaza war
When Gary Lineker bids farewell to the BBC on Sunday, his former bosses will be hoping for an end to their problems with headstrong stars harder than England football fans do at major tournaments. And, like England fans, they are sure to be disappointed. For Lineker was just the highest-profile example representing two existential challenges for the BBC: how to maintain its reputation for impartiality, and how to do so in a toxic and divisive age. Few issues are so difficult, or are being so badly handled by the BBC right now, as the Israel-Gaza conflict. Lineker blew the final whistle on his BBC career by sharing a video on Instagram that featured an image of a rat over an explanation of Zionism. He followed with a genuinely contrite apology in which he admitted he had not even seen what he called an 'emoji with awful connotations', but the damage had been done. His departure had been a long time coming. In 2023, Lineker – never a journalist – tweeted criticising the government's asylum policy, which led to the corporation drawing up guidance for 'personal use of social media' for journalists and 'flagship programme presenters'. Lineker became the litmus test for the meaning of impartiality in the institution. The guidelines were meant to draw a line in the sand, while recognising that for its star presenters, building a media brand online is increasingly vital in an age in which more and more media consumers are moving away from traditional platforms. While there is no debate that antisemitism or racism of any kind should be banned, Lineker and his supporters believe outrage over dying Palestinian children is not akin to taking sides. Read the interview in which he said that, no matter the rhetoric on either side, he simply feels 'sick' when he sees so many innocent lives lost. Yet, some Lineker critics in the Jewish community continue to believe he has 'baited' them by failing to criticise Hamas or mention the 7 October attacks. This issue can be difficult to navigate for all media companies, but particularly the BBC, where problems are never just about one presenter or mistake. One of the biggest issues affecting trust in BBC journalism, both externally and internally, is its handling of Gaza. And it's a terrain that the BBC is clearly struggling to deal with. The best example of this is perhaps its decision to indefinitely delay broadcasting a documentary about Gaza while it 'investigates' another documentary broadcast in February. The BBC pulled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone from iPlayer after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator was the son of a member of the Hamas-run government. The BBC chair, Samir Shah, a respected former journalist, made his feelings clear when he told MPs that such failings were a 'dagger to the heart' of the BBC's claims of impartiality and trustworthiness. His call for swift action has so far resulted in the appointment of Peter Johnston, the BBC's director of editorial complaints, to investigate. Insiders believe the report could still be weeks away. In the meantime, Medics Under Fire, an investigation into how all 36 hospitals have been attacked in Gaza with more than 100 doctors killed and many incarcerated, has been shelved. Basement Films, the award-winning producer, point out that their film gives voice to doctors in a war zone from which the world's media has been excluded. The essence of public service journalism, in other words. Basement, which has taken to showing some of the interviews on social media in recent days, has asked the BBC to release its contract rights on the film so it can be shown elsewhere. A BBC statement said it won't make any decision 'while we have an ongoing review into a previous documentary'. The BBC appears to fear putting out what could be seen as another documentary supporting Palestinians. BBC 2 was able to release Life and Death in Gaza, but that was in October 2024. More recently Louis Theroux's recent well-received exposé of the settler movement in the West Bank was released. But the programme was outside of the news purview, and helped along by well-placed internal champions including those that 'no longer worried about the edicts that came down from on high', one BBC insider told me. Such criticism points to the fact that not only does the BBC face external tension, but there are continued rumours about pressures from within. Several people told me a sense of weakness is behind declining levels of confidence in the management in the most recent staff survey. 'If things stay as they are, the BBC will never put another what would be seen as pro-Palestinian or pro-Gaza documentary out,' said one. In this febrile atmosphere, Jeremy Bowen being able to use the word 'genocide' in a recent piece was seen as brave, even though he was simply quoting the view of Palestinian agencies. None of this is easy of course. The BBC has some of the best Middle East correspondents in the world and no one thinks that reporting on a conflict zone from which the world's media has been excluded is straightforward. Difficult editorial decisions always take nerve, care and a great deal of courage. The BBC made a stupid mistake by not identifying the background of a documentary narrator, Lineker made one by posting something he seems not to have watched properly. But if the consequences of these mistakes grow out of proportion and affect the way BBC journalists and presenters report, the damage will be far greater. Not just to the BBC, but to all of us. Jane Martinson is a Guardian columnist
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Maradona death trial suspended as judge's impartiality questioned
SAN ISIDRO (Argentina), May 21 — The Argentine court trying the medical team of late football legend Diego Maradona over his death suspended the trial yesterday for a week over questions about a judge's impartiality. The court ordered the suspension after defence lawyers said that the judge's involvement in a documentary about the case constituted a possible breach of her duty of impartiality, as well as possible influence peddling and even bribery. Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari said the pause was ordered 'to resolve an issue ... of institutional gravity.' Two defence lawyers asked for the judge, Julieta Makintach, to be recused from the two-month-old trial. At issue is the alleged use of cameras in the courtroom in violation of a ban on filming the trial. The prosecutor's office will investigate whether the rule was broken and what part, if any, Makintach played in the transgression. Makintach told the court yesterday that she could 'understand the concerns of all.' 'But I am convinced of my impartiality,' she said, adding that she would consider recusing herself from the case if there were doubts over the matter. The presiding judge, Maximiliano Savarino, said the trial would resume on May 27. 'Dark, lonely' deathbed Maradona died on November 25, 2020 at age 60, while recovering at home from brain surgery for a blood clot, after decades battling cocaine and alcohol addictions. He died of heart failure and acute pulmonary oedema two weeks after going under the knife. He was found dead in bed by his day nurse. His seven-person medical team is on trial in the Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro over the conditions of his convalescence at a private home in the nearby suburb of Tigre. Prosecutors have described the football icon's care in his last days as grossly negligent. The defendants risk prison terms between eight and 25 years if convicted of 'homicide with possible intent' ' pursuing a course of action despite knowing it could lead to death. The case so far has focused on the decision by Maradona's doctors to allow him recuperate at home, with minimal supervision and with minimal medical equipment, instead of in a medical facility. Testifying in court last week, Maradona's daughter Gianinna accused her father's carers of keeping him in 'a dark, ugly and lonely' place and said they seemed more interested in money than his welfare. So far only one of the defendants, Maradona's psychiatrist, has been called to the stand. The passing of the star of the 1986 World Cup plunged Argentina into mourning in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands of people queued to bid farewell to the former Boca Juniors and Napoli striker as his body lay in state at the presidential palace. — AFP
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alex Kay-Jelski seeing off Gary Lineker ushers in BBC Sport's ‘new culture'
Just over a fortnight ago, the man who helped pull the trigger on the BBC's biggest beast was already hinting of a change in direction for his staff. An ego-free culture of collegiate working for the digital era was heralded by Alex Kay-Jelski, a year into his reign as the corporation's director of sport. 'There are so many amazing examples across the department of people starting to work together more closely, making new multi-platform plans and going deeper with storytelling,' he wrote in an internal memo. 'Staff are also calling out behaviours they have seen that don't fit into the culture we want.' The all-staff rallying cry will have landed in Gary Lineker's inbox on May 2. Unfortunately, the famous recipient had already set off in a direction undermining such 'working together' demands. Two outspoken interviews, published either side of his self-destructive Instagram post, would ultimately help seal Lineker's fate in the eyes of Kay-Jelski and his inner circle. Credit: garylineker/Instagram Lineker was perceived to have taken aim at BBC colleagues in an Amol Rajan interview last month in which he was probed about his outspoken social media use. 'Why?,' cried Lineker when Rajan put to him that the corporation is duty-bound to be impartial on Israel-Palestine relations. 'It needs to be factual.' Senior BBC figures were taken aback at Lineker's suggestion it 'wasn't impartial about Ukraine and Russia'. When Rajan put to him that it 'sounds like you think the BBC is in a complete mess on impartiality', Lineker denied so, but added: 'I think facts are the most important thing.' The takeaway for Kay-Jelski was that Lineker had learnt little in the two years since his run-in with Tim Davie, the director-general, over his social media post about the previous government's asylum policy. For the likes of Roger Mosey, who managed Lineker as a former head of BBC Television, the clock had been ticking for Lineker from then on. 'I do not think he's a great diviner of BBC editorial policy,' Mosey told Radio 4's Today programme on Monday. 'It's a slightly weird thing when you're watching from the outside of the BBC, giving a platform to its highest-paid presenter to misinterpret BBC editorial policy. That, I think, is part of the problem.' Lineker's antics last week – the rat emoji Instagram post and his incendiary interview with The Telegraph's Oliver Brown – bordered on insulting his paymasters over the past 26 years. For Kay-Jelski, a respected sports editor at The Athletic, The Times and the Daily Mail, it had got personal. Having stirred much intrigue when telling Rajan last month that people within the organisation 'wanted me to leave', Lineker acknowledged to Brown that it had been a 'dramatic change' of regime under Kay-Jelski. 'I think it has, and that's what I was alluding to,' Lineker confirmed. 'He has his reasons, he wants to change Match of the Day a bit. Ultimately, I don't think they will, because I don't see how you move a highlights show away from being about highlights. I think he wants more journalists – he has come from that background. He has got no television experience.' That last sentence will have stuck in the craw as it echoes a challenge that had already been put to Kay-Jelski's inner circle. Kay-Jelski had moved to address such concerns about his efforts to prioritise journalism and storytelling in his last update to staff. Having previously announced redundancies, Kay-Jelski wrote in his May email that '88 per cent of you understand why the BBC needs to transform'. Modernising efforts at the BBC, ensuring its journalists are working across multiple platforms, is being done to 'protect ourselves for the future of the BBC and I can't think of a better reason than that', Kay-Jelski added. During a period of major change, there has been no time to stroke egos like his predecessor Barbara Slater might have done. Slater told MPs in 2023 that 'We love Gary and Gary loves the BBC', but there was no public glowing tribute from Kay-Jelski in a press release confirming Lineker's departure on Monday. There was subsequently an internal email in which he acknowledged the BBC was losing a 'brilliant broadcaster' but the overall message was 'keep calm and carry on'. 'I appreciate the last week has been difficult and emotional for many of you,' he told staff. 'Thank you for all the messages and conversations, even if some of them weren't easy to have. And I hope you understand that I had to wait until now to tell you the news. It is sad to be saying goodbye to such a brilliant broadcaster and I also want to thank Gary for his years of service. As ever, if you have questions, you know where I am.' The decision to tear up Lineker's extended deal was ultimately made by Kay-Jelski's boss Davie. But in many ways Lineker's departure now makes the task in hand more straightforward as a new era begins in earnest at BBC Sport. 'The triumph of Gary's negotiating was to stay with the FA Cup and the World Cup,' said Mosey of what was set to be a 'peculiar outcome'. Instead, Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and new signing Kelly Cates – the new faces of Match of the Day – are Kay-Jelski's undisputed chosen ones. As Mosey observes, 'they won't be put back in the cupboard' for the World Cup next summer. With Lineker's victory lap cancelled, Kay-Jelski may have added a few grey hairs in recent days. Ultimately, however, the task in hand becomes clearer. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Alex Kay-Jelski seeing off Gary Lineker ushers in BBC Sport's ‘new culture'
Just over a fortnight ago, the man who helped pull the trigger on the BBC's biggest beast was already hinting of a change in direction for his staff. An ego-free culture of collegiate working for the digital era was heralded by Alex Kay-Jelski, a year into his reign as the corporation's director of sport. 'There are so many amazing examples across the department of people starting to work together more closely, making new multi-platform plans and going deeper with storytelling,' he wrote in an internal memo. 'Staff are also calling out behaviours they have seen that don't fit into the culture we want.' The all-staff rallying cry will have landed in Gary Lineker's inbox on May 2. Unfortunately, the famous recipient had already set off in a direction undermining such 'working together' demands. Two outspoken interviews, published either side of his self-destructive Instagram post, would ultimately help seal Lineker's fate in the eyes of Kay-Jelski and his inner circle. Lineker was perceived to have taken aim at BBC colleagues in an Amol Rajan interview last month in which he was probed about his outspoken social media use. 'Why?,' cried Lineker when Rajan put to him that the corporation is duty-bound to be impartial on Israel-Palestine relations. 'It needs to be factual.' Senior BBC figures were taken aback at Lineker's suggestion it 'wasn't impartial about Ukraine and Russia'. When Rajan put to him that it 'sounds like you think the BBC is in a complete mess on impartiality', Lineker denied so, but added: 'I think facts are the most important thing.' The takeaway for Kay-Jelski was that Lineker had learnt little in the two years since his run-in with Tim Davie, the director-general, over his social media post about the previous government's asylum policy. For the likes of Roger Mosey, who managed Lineker as a former head of BBC Television, the clock had been ticking for Lineker from then on. 'I do not think he's a great diviner of BBC editorial policy,' Mosey told Radio 4's Today programme on Monday. 'It's a slightly weird thing when you're watching from the outside of the BBC, giving a platform to its highest-paid presenter to misinterpret BBC editorial policy. That, I think, is part of the problem.' Lineker's antics last week – the rat emoji Instagram post and his incendiary interview with The Telegraph's Oliver Brown – bordered on insulting his paymasters over the past 26 years. For Kay-Jelski, a respected sports editor at The Athletic, The Times and the Daily Mail, it had got personal. Having stirred much intrigue when telling Rajan last month that people within the organisation 'wanted me to leave', Lineker acknowledged to Brown that it had been a 'dramatic change' of regime under Kay-Jelski. 'I think it has, and that's what I was alluding to,' Lineker confirmed. 'He has his reasons, he wants to change Match of the Day a bit. Ultimately, I don't think they will, because I don't see how you move a highlights show away from being about highlights. I think he wants more journalists – he has come from that background. He has got no television experience.' That last sentence will have stuck in the craw as it echoes a challenge that had already been put to Kay-Jelski's inner circle. Kay-Jelski had moved to address such concerns about his efforts to prioritise journalism and storytelling in his last update to staff. Having previously announced redundancies, Kay-Jelski wrote in his May email that '88 per cent of you understand why the BBC needs to transform'. Modernising efforts at the BBC, ensuring its journalists are working across multiple platforms, is being done to 'protect ourselves for the future of the BBC and I can't think of a better reason than that', Kay-Jelski added. During a period of major change, there has been no time to stroke egos like his predecessor Barbara Slater might have done. Slater told MPs in 2023 that 'We love Gary and Gary loves the BBC', but there was no public glowing tribute from Kay-Jelski in a press release confirming Lineker's departure on Monday. There was subsequently an internal email in which he acknowledged the BBC was losing a 'brilliant broadcaster' but the overall message was 'keep calm and carry on'. 'I appreciate the last week has been difficult and emotional for many of you,' he told staff. 'Thank you for all the messages and conversations, even if some of them weren't easy to have. And I hope you understand that I had to wait until now to tell you the news. It is sad to be saying goodbye to such a brilliant broadcaster and I also want to thank Gary for his years of service. As ever, if you have questions, you know where I am.' The decision to tear up Lineker's extended deal was ultimately made by Kay-Jelski's boss Davie. But in many ways Lineker's departure now makes the task in hand more straightforward as a new era begins in earnest at BBC Sport. 'The triumph of Gary's negotiating was to stay with the FA Cup and the World Cup,' said Mosey of what was set to be a 'peculiar outcome'. Instead, Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and new signing Kelly Cates – the new faces of Match of the Day – are Kay-Jelski's undisputed chosen ones. As Mosey observes, 'they won't be put back in the cupboard' for the World Cup next summer. With Lineker's victory lap cancelled, Kay-Jelski may have added a few grey hairs in recent days. Ultimately, however, the task in hand becomes clearer.
