The head of Ofcom has hit out at BBC ‘own goals’ over a controversial Gaza documentary and Glastonbury coverage.
Dame Melanie Dawes urged the corporation to ‘get a grip quicker’ as she warned blunders could ‘start to erode public trust and confidence’.
The intervention came after the BBC apologised earlier this month for ‘deplorable behaviour’ by punk rap duo Bob Vylan at the Somerset festival.
Frontman Bobby Vylan, whose real name is reportedly Pascal Robinson-Foster, led crowds in chants of ‘death, death to the IDF’ (Israel Defence Forces) during their set, which was shown live on TV and the iPlayer.
The BBC has said it will no longer broadcast live performances deemed ‘high risk’ and its director of music, Lorna Clarke, also reportedly stepped back from her day-to-day duties.
Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was originally aired in February but it was pulled by the broadcaster after it emerged the son of a Hamas minister featured prominently.
Another child in the film was the daughter of a former captain in the Hamas-run police force, while a third child was pictured posing with Hamas fighters – prompting allegations the BBC was providing a propaganda platform for the terror group.
A review of the corporation’s decisions is expected to be published shortly, with a BBC spokesman saying: ‘It is vital that this work is done as quickly as possible, but it must also be thorough and follow a proper process.’
Dame Melanie told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: ‘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, and 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.’
Asked if she had faith in the BBC taking action, Dame Melanie said: ‘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, you know, a real risk that the BBC loses confidence in what it delivers for the public.’
Avon and Somerset Police have launched an investigation into comments made during Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance.
The act was already under a police investigation for comments made at a concert a month before Glastonbury.
The group issued a statement claiming they were being ‘targeted for speaking up’ after Avon and Somerset Police began its investigation.
Formed in 2017, Bob Vylan are known for addressing political issues in their albums including racism, masculinity and class.