Former BBC journalist Mishal Husain has described the current crisis at the corporation as 'existential', urging a separation from government influence to restore public trust. Speaking to Bloomberg's Forecast newsletter, she argued that the director general role is 'too vast' for one person and called for a non-partisan system of board appointments.
Husain's comments come as BBC executives prepare to be questioned by MPs on Monday over editorial standards. The crisis deepened after the resignations of director general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness, following accusations of a rightwing coup involving board member Robbie Gibb, a former Conservative No 10 press secretary.
'In increasingly divided societies, national institutions need to inspire trust across a large segment of the population, and yet several members of the BBC board – including the chair – are appointed by the government of the day,' Husain said. She added that the BBC's challenges reflect wider issues of maintaining trust in a polarised age.
The controversy was sparked by a leaked internal report criticising BBC impartiality, which highlighted a misleading edit of a Donald Trump speech in a Panorama episode about the 2021 Capitol riot. The edit spliced together two segments of Trump's speech, making it appear he incited violence more directly. The BBC later apologised, but Trump has threatened to sue for up to $5bn.
At Monday's culture, media and sport committee hearing, BBC chair Samir Shah, non-executive directors Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson, and editorial standards adviser Michael Prescott are expected to give evidence. Husain stressed the need for courage to reform the system, saying it 'matters beyond the UK's borders'.
