A SENIOR Tory has sent BBC chiefs a dossier of “disgraceful bias” displayed by its star news presenters.
Sir Gerald Howarth has compiled a long list of recent examples in which he says TV and radio hosts have broken their strict rules of impartiality.
The ex-minister has demanded to be told why bosses have not reprimanded Emily Maitlis over her Newsnight Dominic Cummings rant.
And he claims her colleagues tried to bounce an outspoken Tory MP off the programme after he said he planned to defend the PM’s senior aide.
The Beeb received 40,000 complaints in the two days after Maitlis delivered her critical Cummings monologue.
In a hard hitting letter to BBC Director General Lord Hall, Sir Gerald accuses his presenters of delivering a “relentless diet of gloom and negativity” since the pandemic began.
He names those he believes are the major culprits and provides a list of incidents.
Sir Gerald fired off his four-page missive after what he describes as Ms Maitlis’s “disgraceful performance” on Tuesday night.
In her introduction to the BBC2 current affairs programme, she said Mr Cummings had “broken the rules” during the lockdown.
Sir Gerald says in his letter: “The introduction left the viewer in no doubt as to her — and by extension the BBC’s — views.”
His dossier also accuses BBC Health Editor Hugh Pym of putting “impertinent and disrespectful” questions to Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
He claims Radio 4 presenter Justin Webb used the expression “Conservative supporting” in front of Daily Telegraph, and said “he poisoned the public information well”.
Radio 4’s Nick Robinson is accused of trying to goad and taunt a guest into saying that Mr Cummings had broken the law.
Newsnight’s UK Editor Katie Razzall declared she would have refused to stand in for Ms Maitlis had she been dropped from hosting the next day’s programme.
Sir Gerald suggested that senior staff gave a “two-fingers” response to Lord Hall after he ruled that Ms Maitlis had gone too far.
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.hellofaread.com/politics/former-commons-speaker-john-bercows-hopes-of-taking-seat-in-lords-have-been-crushed/
