The former editorial director and director of news and programmes at GB News, John McAndrew, has been hired as the BBC’s director of News Programmes.
The former editorial director and director of news and programmes at GB News, John McAndrew, has been hired as the BBC’s director of News Programmes.
McAndrew, who was a launch director of GB News, worked closely with Andrew Neil, where he proposed an “anti-woke” alternative to established broadcasters.
Press Gazette reports: “Since leaving GB News, McAndrew has been the launch editor of The Andrew Neil Show for Channel 4.
“The pair worked closely together at GB News and shared a vision for it to reach people who felt disconnected from the existing TV news offerings. McAndrew told Press Gazette just before the channel’s launch in June 2021 that it would be a “very warm, inclusive channel where disagreements will be had, tough subjects will absolutely be taken on, but they’ll be taken on in a classy and courteous fashion”.
McAndrew left the ‘anti-woke’ channel to avoid fuelling culture wars.
However, his appointment has been met with criticism by some, with Sam Bright, investigations editor at Byline Times describing McAndrew’s appointment as a ‘farce’.
He tweeted: “The former editorial director of GB News – the overtly anti-‘woke’, anti-BBC broadcaster – has now been hired as the BBC’s director of news programmes.
“What a farce”.
Bright went on to add: “Also looks like Gu*do is celebrating the appointment, a few months after running a hit campaign against Jess Brammar for the apparently obscene bias of her supporting racial equality.”
Another social media user wrote: “Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, John McAndrew (GB News’s notoriously “Anti-Woke” launch director) has been appointed director of news programmes at the BBC. Any remnants of fairness and impartiality will be lost.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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