Global Reportedly Told Staff To Keep Quiet Over Tim Westwood Sexual Assault Allegations

Staff at Global-owned radio stations Capital FM and LBC have claimed that they were told to avoid reporting allegations of sexual misconduct against the UK hip-hop DJ, Tim Westwood.

Following The Guardian’s investigation into Westwood last month, staff in Global’s newsroom—which provides news bulletins for the company’s stations, including LBC, Capital, and Classic FM—were reportedly told by managers to avoid commenting on the allegations regarding the radio host. Particular presenters were also urged not to discuss the claims on air.

Many media outlets shared news of the concerning investigation, but Global’s listeners remained uninformed as—according to multiple sources—management worked out how to address the claims.

Owned by the family of founder Ashley Tabor-King, Global is arguably one of the biggest players in the British commercial media world. The company has recently taken on a flurry of journalists from the BBC, including Emily Maitlis and Andrew Marr, but despite its ever-growing success, the privately-owned company tends to dodge much of the attention acquired by public broadcasters, such as the BBC.

Nevertheless, this is not the first time Global has been made aware of accusations about Westwood. Back in 2020, a number of anonymous Twitter users took to social media to report examples of his inappropriate behaviour, all of which were denied by Westwood at the time and even blocked by his staff at Capital Xtra—the station he hosts his weekly rap show on. However, fellow presenters on Capital Xtra reportedly asked management to look into the matter, with some even taking to Twitter to express their concern.

The recent investigation into the 64-year-old’s behaviour has now prompted staff at Global to examine whether the company acted appropriately on the previous accusations.