00:00In her resignation statement, Deborah Turnis said that the recent allegations that the BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.
00:08Do you think the BBC is institutionally biased?
00:10No, I don't, and I'm sure someone's going to correct me pretty quickly if I'm wrong,
00:14but I just re-read the memo yet again outside the door here.
00:17I don't think I use that phrase anywhere in the memo, and I do not think it's institutionally biased.
00:22Let's be very clear, tons of stuff the BBC does is world-class, both factual programming and non-factual programming.
00:30I was a political correspondent at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Times, other places for 14 years.
00:34I think the standard of BBC Westminster is exemplary, and that's why I keep saying these were incipient problems.
00:41We were finding the odd problem here, the odd problem there, and the crucial thing was,
00:45when I say odd problem here and there, every single thing we spotted, as per my memo, seemed to me to have systemic causes.
00:53And the root of my disagreement, and slight concern even today, is that the BBC was not, and I hope they will change, but will they,
01:03treating these as having systemic causes. There's real work that needs to be done at the BBC.
01:07...of hours of coverage. So, there was a healthy debate, I mean, you've heard from Michael's,
01:12but in my view, was the BBC willing to have a proper conversation, debate, and actually take action?
01:18And in my view, yes, they were.
01:21Thank you, Chair. Mr Prescott, you've just said that the BBC is not institutionally biased.
01:29What is your bias, if you have one?
01:33It's always a tough job, isn't it, spotted your own biases? I mean, you know when you read about these centrist dads,
01:39I think I'm a centrist dad, that would probably cover it. I mean, actually, you know what, to that question,
01:44there are a lot of people. I know you folks haven't gone here so far, but there's been a lot of stuff
01:51in some of the papers about Robbie Gibb, and the Chair was asking, was one personality more dominant
01:59than another? You're asking about my preferences. I am no ideological soulmate of Robbie Gibb, for example.
02:04I'm a centrist dad.
02:06Have you seen David Grossman's report? Have you read it?
02:12Yes.
02:13Have you read Michael's memo?
02:18Yes.
02:19And would you agree that Michael's memo was an accurate reflection or response to that Grossman report?
02:29I would say that Michael's memo does not provide a comprehensive view of what was in the David Grossman report.
02:35What do you think was missing?
02:36I think the David Grossman report covered a lot of ground, significant areas like the coverage
02:44of the election and the use of polling, issues like who was being represented on programmes,
02:51issues of impartiality. There was obviously a BBC response to it as well, which was also significant.
02:57They did engage with each of the details of the David Grossman report.
03:00I don't think Michael's account is a personal account rather than a comprehensive review
03:06of everything that was covered in the committee.
03:07You describe it as biased?
03:10I would not choose to characterise it that way. I think it's a personal account of what
03:15Michael wanted to bring before the board.
03:18It was meant. I think Caroline's remarks may well be fair because I'm...
03:30...
03:32...
03:37so
03:38...
03:42...
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