The BBC has announced this Monday the reincorporation to its staff of the presenter Gary Lineker, separated last week for expressing his rejection of the immigration policy of the British Government. The English public channel, pressured by the wave of support for the former soccer player and the boycott of employees, has rectified although assuring that they will review the use of social networks by their workers to maintain the “difficult balance” between the impartiality that the station defends and the freedom of expression.
“Gary is a valuable part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I hope he will present our coverage next weekend,” BBC director-general Tim Davie said of the former Barça player’s return to the Match of the Day soccer program, which this past Saturday had to be canceled due to the absence of workers supporting Lineker. The summaries of the day were broadcast raw, without any voice commenting on the plays.
“I want to thank everyone for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game, but their support was overwhelming,” Lineker announced on social media. proud” to return “to work with the best and fairest station in the world”, where it has been “almost three decades”. “I can’t wait to get back in the Match of the Day chair on Saturday,” the return message from him concluded before making a “final thought.”
Lineker reiterates that these have been “difficult days”, although they are not comparable to “having to flee persecution or war at home to seek refuge in a distant land”. The former center forward went so far as to say that the language of the immigration policy of the British executive was reminiscent of that of “Germany in the thirties”, when the Nazi party governed. The conservative government of Rishi Sunak has approved a restrictive border policy that denies access to the country to political asylum seekers (except those from Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan), in addition to detaining or deporting those who arrive in small boats, and ban them forever from legal residence in the UK and from British nationality.
Lineker did not retract his words about the Government, but has agreed to collaborate in the review of the use of social networks that the English chain will carry out. “The BBC has a commitment to impartiality and a commitment to free speech. That’s a difficult balancing act to get right where people are bound by different contracts and positions, and with different audiences and social media profiles,” he said. Davie.
The CEO explained that the “BBC’s social media guide is designed to help manage these sometimes difficult challenges” and he is “aware” that this guideline “must be clear and appropriate”. “Accordingly, we are announcing an independent expert-led review of its existing social media guidance, with a particular focus on how it applies to workers outside of news and current affairs. The BBC and I are aware that Gary is in favor of such a review,” Davie concluded.
