Leaked messages reveal staff anger at board

EXCLUSIVE: BBC employees openly revolted against the British broadcaster’s board at an all-staff meeting on Tuesday, according to leaked internal messages.

Deadline received a 56-page document containing countless screenshots of staff comments and questions during the public call with BBC chairman Samir Shah and director general Tim Davie. The document opens a window into staff anger over the BBC’s handling of botched editing of Donald Trump, which led to the shock resignations of Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.

Many BBC employees have questioned board member Robbie Gibb’s role in the debacle, amid allegations the former Conservative Party image specialist staged a coup within the corporation. Gibb’s friends said the notion was “absurd.”

Despite the volume of comments about Gibb, Shah and Davie were not asked directly about the board member. Instead, a more general (but still heavily voted upon) question was asked: “Do you believe the BBC Board embodies and adheres to the six core BBC values ​​that staff are required to uphold and are proud of?”

Shah hit back, telling staff it was “disrespectful” to attack individual board members, saying they were “people who care about the BBC and its values”. Listen to the audio, obtained by Deadline, below.

Employees were furious with Shah’s response, with at least two people saying she was “tone deaf.” A staff member added: “I feel very concerned and upset by the conclusion that asking the right question is disrespectful. Another described him as “pathetic”, while a third person joked: “It seems we’re all horrible disrespectful little peons.” »

Others have openly called on Shah to resign after taking a week to publicly address concerns over The panoramas edition of Trump’s January 6 speech, for which the US president is now threatening to sue the BBC for $1 billion. Shah told staffers he “shared that frustration” about the delay in response, but said he needed to take his time to clarify the facts on complex issues.

Besides anger at Shah, many questions have been raised about Gibb, who was installed on the BBC board in 2021 by Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister. He is one of the few politically appointed members of the 12-member board of directors.

Gibb served on the BBC Board’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee, where he worked alongside external advisor Michael Prescott. Prescott wrote the damning memo that is the starting point of this crisis. He exposed Trump’s set-up and skewered the BBC’s anti-Israel and pro-trans biases.

Many felt their questions about Gibb had been deliberately ignored by BBC moderators.

“I find Robbie Gibb’s continued presence at the BBC to be incredibly demoralizing. It feels like he is fighting against and undermining the work we are trying to do,” one person wrote. Others called for his resignation or dismissal by the Labor government. A staff member said Gibb should not be involved in appointing the BBC’s next director general.

An anonymous poster added: “There is a stark difference between having different viewpoints represented and having a predominantly right-wing board of directors heavily targeting and intimidating journalists within the organization. Almost all of the journalists targeted by the memo were from minority groups, is this a coincidence?”

It wasn’t all bad news for Gibbs. “What’s the problem everyone seems to have with Robbie Gibb? Shouldn’t there be a wide range of people on the board?” asked an insider. Another person slammed colleagues for “complaining” about Gibb, arguing it was proof the BBC was “broken and biased”.

Employees were also critical of the board in general. “I have no confidence in the board to look after and defend the BBC, not after this,” observed one staff member. Another suggested in terms of governance that license fee payers be represented among the directors – a suggestion which could be raised during the renewal of the charter.

BBC employees rarely hesitate to challenge their leaders, but insiders said the strength of feeling during the town hall call was unusually high. Some felt Shah was under real pressure, and there was a feeling that a loss of confidence in the chairman could damage the BBC’s chances of attracting a competent director-general.

The BBC has been contacted for comment.