The BBC’s management team was disappointed at the clumsiness with which it handled the Lineker case, the suspension and reinstatement of the star Match of the Day presenter – after a barrage of criticism and a boycott from colleagues. The former footballer took to social media to criticize Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s tightening immigration policy and compared Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s language to that of Germany in the 1930s before World War II. The public corporation announced this Thursday the new rules for the use of social networks by the moderators of their entertainment programs. They are allowed to comment on “the concrete facts” on any topic that has been the subject of a political debate, but are not allowed to attack or support specific political parties or personalities during the broadcast time of their show or in the two weeks before its premiere. or after removing it from the antenna.
“The current rules previously prohibited taking sides on issues that were part of the debate between political parties. [como ocurrió con las declaraciones de Lineker]. With the new approach it is allowed to take sides as long as you stick to the specific issue. “This is a significant change,” said John Hardie, a former chief executive of the ITN network who was appointed by the BBC to review its rules on social media use.
“All very sensible,” Lineker replied to the message on his X account (formerly Twitter), accompanied by a thumbs-up emoticon.
The new rules apply to programs such as Match of the Day, MasterChef, Top Gear and The Apprentice. The BBC insists it remembers that its presenters – the vast majority on individual contracts and not part of the public corporation’s staff – “have a special responsibility in relation to the BBC’s impartiality due to their specific profiles within the chain”. However, the importance of freedom of expression prevails, even more so when it comes to personalities who have their own sphere of influence in the public eye.
All journalists and employees of the network’s news services are subject to significantly more restrictive and stricter rules to ensure impartiality when using their social media accounts. “If you want to be an opinion columnist or a campaign advocate on social media, that’s a good option, but you shouldn’t work at the BBC,” he told staff in September 2020, when the radio and television director took up his job. British Audience, Tim Davie.
“It is not permitted to express an opinion on a matter currently the subject of political debate, or on a political measure, an industrial controversy or a controversial matter,” says the network’s recommendations to its journalists regarding use of networks. social.
In relation to anyone who works with the BBC but is not part of the permanent staff of the news team or star entertainment programs – that is, actors, comedians or political analysts – the new rules avoid responsibility for defending the impartiality of the BBC , but they ask them to “respect the civil rules of any public discourse so as not to damage the station’s reputation.”
“In future it will be easier for the BBC to determine whether someone has broken the rules on social media. “It will be easier to distinguish between a comment on the facts of a particular matter and a specific attack against an individual,” said Hardie, the person responsible for the new code of conduct. It was his way of remembering the chaos caused by the Lineker case, which enraged Britain’s Conservative MPs, sparked an internal revolt of almost uncontrollable solidarity with the sports star and drove the public company’s leadership into a corner.
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