"The board wanted to discuss a letter and accompanying 8,000-word memo it had received from Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC's editorial guidelines and standards committee (EGSC), who was making broad claims of bias at the organisation. The claims, which would later be leaked to the Telegraph and reported prominently over a week, had been sent to the board's chair, Samir Shah, and the rest of its members."
"There were some serious accusations in the claims made by Prescott, once the political editor of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sunday Times. Most notably, he described how Panorama had edited together two parts of a Donald Trump speech without informing viewers. Other accusations were made over its reporting on Gaza and trans rights. However, the criticisms were all made from the same political perspective: that the BBC's reporting on such issues was too liberal and that it had ignored such concerns."
A board meeting at the BBC became a flashpoint after an 8,000-word memo and letter from Michael Prescott accused the organisation of pervasive liberal bias. Prescott, a former external adviser to the EGSC and ex-political editor of the Sunday Times, criticised Panorama and flagged reporting on Gaza and trans rights. The claims were sent to chair Samir Shah, later leaked to the Telegraph and widely reported. Sources said Deborah Turness was intensely questioned for over an hour. A board member leading the challenge was Robbie Gibb, former communications chief to Theresa May and GB News co-founder. The events culminated in resignations and questions about political interference.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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