Much has been said — including by me — about the controversial decision to host Nick Griffin on BBC1’s Question Time and the subsequent BBC spin surrounding it. Less discussed has been the position of Mark Thompson, who critics say has failed to make the right call on a single major episode in his time as the corporation’s director general. It was he, after all, and other BBC bosses, who refused to air the Gaza appeal in January this year — a position that, set alongside the Griffin appearance, appears even more misguided and bizarre today than it did at the time.
Now, the Labour MP Denis MacShane has given his view on Thompson. He tells me:
Mark Thompson confused censorship and editorial morality. Griffin is not censored by the BBC: he is more often on current affairs than most Labour MPs. Thompson gave in to the stunt culture of the BBC and provided a platform for anti-Semitism and fascism which shames the BBC. If we see a rise in racist and anti-Semitic attacks Thompson should resign.
What do you think?
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