Ofcom: BBC bosses face crisis of trust over Israel-Palestine coverage
Dawes was asked about her past comments on the BBC after it broadcast a Glastonbury set by punk rap duo Bob Vylan, including their chants of 'death, death to the IDF' – the Israel Defense Forces.
The broadcast saw BBC complaints hit a four-year high for a single issue, and senior members of staff were reported to have stepped back from their roles.
READ MORE: 'Why must Palestinians pay?': Holocaust survivor speaks out on Gaza genocide
Asked if she was satisfied with the BBC's response, Dawes said: 'I think it's very frustrating that the BBC has had some own goals in this area, with the Gaza documentary and then with the Glastonbury coverage. It does start to erode public trust and confidence.
'I think I would say that above all, what frustrates me and others is that when these things go wrong, it can take a long time for the BBC to see that something's happened when everybody else was there within a matter of hours.
'So I would say to the BBC, I think they need to get a grip quicker, get these reports and investigations concluded sooner, otherwise, there is a real risk of a sort of loss of confidence in the BBC, which is a shame because what the BBC does day by day is bring some really high quality journalism to our screens and to the radio, which is what we need.'
The Gaza documentary referenced could have been one of two. First was How to Survive a Warzone, a film which the BBC broadcast before withdrawing from the iPlayer service amid anger at the young narrator being the son of an Hamas official.
READ MORE: BBC accused of 'spurious' defence over Gaza documentary axe
Second was Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which the BBC refused to show altogether, leading to accusations of "political suppression". Channel 4 eventually stepped in and broadcast the film instead.
Speaking on the Kuenssberg show, Dawes was then asked if she had faith in the BBC leadership.
The Ofcom head responded: 'I think it's a tough job to be at the top of the BBC.
'I think the board and the senior team at the BBC, need to, as I said, get a bit quicker actually at recognising when something's gone wrong and get a grip of the actions that they need to take, or there is going to be a real risk that the BBC loses confidence in what it delivers for the public.'
Pushed if she had faith in them to do so, Dawes added: 'Well, we're going to have to see over the next week.
BBC director general Tim Davie is under pressure 'I think we're expecting the Gaza report early in the coming week. We've asked a lot of questions about the Glastonbury coverage. The BBC's got a lot on its plate that it needs to address.
'I think it is important to also recognise that they do deliver a very high quality job for the public usually, but it's these own goals that are very frustrating, which they need to be quicker to get onto, quicker to grip, and quicker to put right.'
Writing in the Observer on Sunday, Ben de Pear and Ramita Navai, the executive producers of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, detailed how the BBC had obfuscated on broadcasting the film it had commissioned, eventually cutting it altogether.
Previously, de Pear, a former Channel 4 news editor, had hit out at BBC director general Tim Davie, calling him "just a PR person ... taking editorial decisions which, frankly, he is not capable of making".
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The Sun
32 minutes ago
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Powys County Times
36 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
BBC staff who had authority to cut Bob Vylan livestream ‘were at Glastonbury'
Hundreds of BBC staff were working for the broadcaster at Glastonbury with individuals who had the authority to cut the Bob Vylan livestream present during the controversial performance, the BBC director-general has said. It comes after the frontman of the punk rap duo, Bob Vylan, led crowds in chants of 'death, death to the IDF (Israeli Military Force)' during their set at the Somerset music festival. Police have since launched an investigation into the group with the BBC issuing an apology for the livestream and promising to no longer broadcast live acts they deem 'high risk'. In a letter responding to questions sent by Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chairwoman of the Culture Media and Sport Committee, the director-general of the BBC, Tim Davie said: 'Cutting the livestream was an option open to those on the ground on the day. 'There were 550 personnel working for the BBC at Glastonbury. Of these 328 were working for BBC Studios (camera crew, rigging, technical and production roles), 35 providing coverage for BBC News, and 187 other BBC public service, working across a wide range of roles, including technical crew, producers, presenters, engineers, runners, commissioners and compliance staff.' He added: 'There were failures in our coverage which led to offensive content being broadcast live. I deeply regret that such deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community. 'In considering what to learn from this, my immediate priority was to take swift actions, as detailed above, to mitigate against anything similar happening in the future. 'At the same time we are taking actions to ensure there is proper accountability for those found to be responsible for the failings in the live broadcast; and we are urgently reviewing our guidelines to see if any further measures are needed.' Since their Glastonbury set, Bob Vylan, made up of frontman Bobby Vylan, whose real name is reportedly Pascal Robinson-Foster, and drummer Bobbie Vylan, have reportedly been dropped by their agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), which appears to have removed the group from their website, and have also been pulled from a number of concerts – including their US tour after having their visas revoked. The group announced on Monday, in a post on Instagram, that they were unable to join rock band, Gogol Bordello, on their European Tour. The statement said: 'Due to logistical complications, we have decided not to join our friends Gogol Bordello on their upcoming European Tour. However, we will be heading to Europe in the coming months for both festivals and headline shows.' It comes after the group performed a sold-out gig in London last week where Bobby Vylan said: 'We are a loving band, we love you lot for being here with us. We love the Palestinian people. 'Their strength, their resilience, their ability to keep on going in the face of it all is a beautiful and inspiring thing. 'So as hard as this week may have been for us, it has been nothing in comparison to what the Palestinian people are going through right now.'
