The ex-tech executive once defended his silicon valley employer’s underpayment of tax in the UK
The BBC has announced the appointment of former Google executive Matt Brittin as its new director-general, placing the UK’s state media outlet in the hands of a tech businessman with no media experience.
In a statement on Wednesday, BBC chairman Samir Shah said Brittin will take over the reins at the broadcaster in May, six months after outgoing director-general Tim Davie announced his resignation.
Brittin, who worked as Google’s EMEA president from 2014 to 2024, was chosen for his “deep experience of leading a high-profile and highly-complex organisation through transformation,” Shah said.
Brittin’s appointment comes at a nadir for the BBC. The broadcaster is facing a $10 billion lawsuit from US President Donald Trump over a documentary that deceptively edited a speech he gave before his supporters rioted at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. During Davie’s five-year tenure, the BBC has slashed its budget by 10%, been accused of both pro- and anti-Israel bias, had one of its anchors sentenced for child sex crimes, and struggled to keep its government-backed World Service outlets open.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
