NUJ backs BBC journalists and calls for governance reform
The NUJ has called for worker representation and independent appointments to the BBC board ahead of culture secretary Lisa Nandy's urgent statement to parliament today.
The union has also defended the professional integrity of its members at the BBC and demanded sustainable funding to safeguard public service journalism and quality news provision across the nations, locally and globally.
The calls follow the resignations of Tim Davie, BBC director-general, and Deborah Turness, BBC News chief executive, on 9 November. Yesterday Samir Shah, BBC chair, wrote to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee to apologise for an "error of judgement" over Panorama’s editing of a speech made by Donald Trump, US president, on 6 January 2021.
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:
"The BBC has acknowledged that the Panorama edit of President Trump’s speech was an error of judgment and has apologised. Where errors of judgment or mistakes are acknowledged there should be a proportionate response and we are concerned at the tone and tenor of much of the public discourse over the past 48 hours.
"Some politicians – at home and abroad - have used this as an opportunity to attack the whole BBC, which does a great disservice to the thousands of journalists striving to adhere to high editorial standards and conducting themselves professionally under immense public pressure and scrutiny. That the BBC remains the most trusted source of news in the UK is a testament to how well they carry out their duties. We collectively must back its journalists and resist politically motivated attacks that undermine public service journalism.
"The focus now must be the future of the BBC. Mistakes are more likely where journalists are overstretched and journalism is underfunded. Successive government budget cuts have undermined the BBC’s core news output – across its regions, national news and World Service.
"The Charter Renewal process offers an opportunity to give the BBC the resources it needs to deliver high quality public service journalism, free from political interference. The BBC’s funding model must protect and sustain the principle of universality, and its funding settlement must be sufficient to deliver quality local, regional, national and international news.
"The government must meaningfully engage the public, trade unions and our members at the BBC throughout the Charter Renewal process. The NUJ’s News Recovery Plan sets out a pathway for reform of the BBC’s governance. The BBC board and its chair should be chosen by an arms-length body, and there must be proper worker representation with at least 25% of board seats filled by BBC employees from non-management roles to champion public interest journalism without political interference.
"The BBC does not belong to the government or its board. It belongs to the people and to its workers. It should be accountable to - and shaped by - us. At a time where local publications are closing, media plurality is lacking, social media disinformation is rife, and inaccurate AI-generated news is increasing, trusted news sources like the BBC are vital to our cultural life, social cohesion and democracy. The NUJ will always fight for its members and for the future of our public broadcaster."