BBC Director General Tim Davie and Chair Samir Shah are to appear before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the UK House of Commons in September for a session on the work of the Corporation, including editorial standards and decision making, and its workplace culture.The pair will be asked about the internal review of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which concluded that the documentary breached editorial guidelines on accuracy, by failing to disclose information about the child narrator’s father’s position within the Hamas-run government.“As the BBC admitted to us, this has been a hugely damaging episode when it comes to the broadcaster’s reputation for trust and impartiality,” commented Chair of the CMS Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP. “Today’s report shows once again how there is a desperate need for more senior oversight of editorial decision making and enforcement of standards across the corporation.”“The BBC’s focus on introducing more stringent scrutiny to prevent a repeat of such errors is welcome, as its commitment to accountability. It’s crucial that those in charge get on top of the flaws in the editorial process, which overwise risk overshadowing the vital work that the BBC does in telling the stories that people need to hear.”“Our session will be a chance for the leadership of the BBC to demonstrate that they are tackling the issues that have been raised over the past few weeks head on and have a serious plan to ensure that the broadcaster maintains the trust of the public.”The Committee wrote to Davie at the start of the month over its coverage of Glastonbury to asks about editorial and decision-making processes and whether consideration was given to broadcasting with a delay. The BBC’s response to the letter has been published. MPs are likely to explore the broadcaster’s response during the session.The corporation’s leadership will also face questions on how it dealt with complaints and allegations relating to MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace. Production company Banijay has published a report into his behaviour. Dame Caroline called on both Banijay and the BBC to raise their game to ensure their complaints process is robust enough to inspire confidence in both staff and freelancers.The Committee regularly hears from the senior leadership of the BBC as part of its scrutiny of the broadcaster. The session, scheduled for September 9th, is also expected to cover the forthcoming BBC Annual Report and Accounts and Ofcom’s Public Service Media Review, as well as looking ahead to the BBC Charter Review.
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