Home » Dispute over political statements: BBC and Lineker reach agreement

Dispute over political statements: BBC and Lineker reach agreement

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Dispute over political statements: BBC and Lineker reach agreement

Status: 03/13/2023 2:54 p.m

Football presenter Gary Lineker has triumphed over freedom of speech with the BBC and is returning to TV screens. “After a surreal few days, I’m glad we found a way”the former England international tweeted on Monday.

He is next to be seen at next Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-finals between English champions Manchester City and second division leaders Burnley. BBC Director General Tim Davie was also delighted.

Apparently part of the deal is for the BBC to launch an independent inquiry into its social media regulations for employees. Davie acknowledged that “grey areas” created some confusion. At the same time, he emphasized that Lineker will be during the exam “adhere to editorial guidelines”.

The case extends to the highest levels of government

Lineker tweeted last Tuesday that the rhetoric was the British Conservative government “Not unlike that of Germany in the 1930s”. The BBC saw this as a violation of its strict rules of neutrality and suspended the popular moderator.

As a result, several prominent moderators and commentators refused to work on the flagship show otherwise directed by Lineker “Match of the Day” only game scenes were shown without comment. Critics accused the BBC of bowing to government pressure after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman expressed outrage.

Now the public pressure was apparently too great. In a survey by the opinion research institute Yougov, a clear majority supported Lineker. Prominent right-wing conservative voices had also criticized the suspension as an inadmissible interference in freedom of expression.

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BBC heavily criticized

BBC Director General Davie, on the other hand, insisted that the move was the right one. “I have always said that we must take appropriate measures”said Davie in an interview with the BBC’s own media correspondent. “By the way, from some people’s point of view, we have taken measures that are too strict, others think that we are too lenient.”

Davie was criticized internally for the case and had to be accused in the BBC interview of not having a feel for the employees. “Everyone recognizes this has been a difficult time for staff, contributors, presenters and most importantly our audience”he said. “I apologize for that.”

Lineker indicated that he will continue to speak out. “As difficult as the last few days have been, it just doesn’t compare to having to flee your homeland from persecution or war to seek refuge in a country far away.”, the former striker tweeted. The empathy of colleagues and viewers “heartwarming” been.

At the same time, the star moderator signaled that “Match of the Day” presented since 2009, after the agreement support for the Director General. “He does an almost impossible job of making everyone happy, especially in the area of ​​impartiality”the 62-year-old tweeted.

Davie returned the praise. “Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary and I look forward to him presenting our coverage over the coming weekend.” he said. With an annual salary of £1.35 million (€1.53 million), Lineker is the highest-paid BBC presenter.

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