The BBC was plunged into a fresh bias row last night over new jobs for two senior journalists with a history of openly anti-Brexit views.
The Corporation announced this month that ex-political reporter Nick Rotherham was being promoted to ‘senior news editor, commissioning’ while investigative documentary expert Marc Perkins was becoming ‘head of journalism, investigations’.
Last night, Conservative MPs pointed to the two men’s track record on social media of anti-Brexit messages and in the case of Mr Rotherham, posts critical of the Tories.
They claimed the appointments were another example of the Corporation tolerating bias and openly expressed political opinions from journalists who should remain impartial.
The Corporation announced this month that ex-political reporter Nick Rotherham (pictured) was being promoted to ‘senior news editor, commissioning’
The row broke with the BBC already engulfed in a bitter row over plans to give ex-HuffPost UK editor Jess Brammar a senior role at the Corporation despite her having shared ‘Left-wing’ views on social media.
It also came in the wake of Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis accusing BBC bosses of caving in to political pressure after she was rebuked for declaring on the programme that ex-No 10 aide Dominic Cummings ‘broke the rules’ by taking a trip to Barnard Castle in the first weeks of the pandemic lockdown last year.
Asked if she regretted her remarks, Ms Maitlis told the Press Gazette: ‘No, I don’t. It hasn’t ever been explained to me what was journalistically inaccurate about that. The call from Downing Street came in and within a four-hour window an apology was given.’
She also compared the speed at which complaints were pursued against her within the BBC – ‘after a call from No 10’ – with the 25 years it took for the Corporation to acknowledge Martin Bashir’s deceptions over his Princess Diana interview.
Some of Nick Rotherham's comments on Brexit
Mr Rotherham made clear his views on Brexit with a series of tweets dating back to January 2017 when he suggested the UK leaving the Single Market should lead to a second referendum on Scottish independence.
He wrote: ‘Out of the Single Market. Over to you Nicola Sturgeon...#Indyref2.’
He followed that up in November that year by attacking
