Do you know, there is something inherently wrong about the story concerning a depressed TV presenter who got caught up in a scandal either of his own making or not.
Huw Edwards is one of the UK’s leading journalists with coming-up-to half a century in the job. He should have known exactly what the consequences were if his peccadillos leaked in an international newsroom.
Except, it appears, if you work at the heart of the BBC’s news-gathering operation.
Many at the BBC feel they are walking on a thin raft of Teflon, never thinking for a moment that they might slip off it.
The BBC is a middle-class oik and as such is now bleating vaporously on its tea-breath that it’s all the Sun’s fault!
Is it?
A few days ago the BBC Newsnight programme went for the jugular but, as usual, with a weak flappy-paddle wrist, a headache and scornful pomposity.
The BBC didn’t look at its own failures, it looked for somebody to blame.
Yet its own reporters were probing allegations about Huw Edwards BEFORE the story broke.
Well, they must have agreed with the Sun and all the other news outlets, that yes there was a public interest then.
And let’s look why it has public interest …
- Parents approached The Sun saying they had evidence that Huw was paying large sums to a young person with drug addiction. Sexual pictures were involved apparently.
- The BBC news editors had shown no interest.
- Huw Edwards was named by his wife and social media. Not the British Press … we were respecting privacy and deformation laws
- The parents said they wanted the payments to stop.
- Police told them nothing could be done.
- The family asked for no payment from The Sun.
Do you know what they wanted?
A voice That’s what…
What should the hard-talking, street-wise Sun have done? Told the family to f*ck off?
Ignored what appeared to be another clear abuse of power by a leading BBC celebrity?
Do you know what it is like to have a major problem in your life but you have nowhere to turn?
I do.
So, the Sun opened its tabloid door to them, took them in. Now, the couple chose the Sun, not the other way round.
And because of privacy the Sun never named Huw at all.
Social media did though, without any checking, investigating, interviewing, legal advice or indeed KNOWLEDGE.
As the Sun said: “(The BBC) and its media supporters, sanctimonious haters of tabloids and The Sun especially, leapt on the police’s initial finding that no criminality had occurred and claimed the story thus had no public interest.
What self-serving duplicity.”
Well, what can you say? The BBC now appears to be doing the job they should have been doing months – or even years – ago.
The Sun was on it and published bringing up many questions including so many about freedom, our right to know … and the dark side of our democracy.
Who did it wrong Huw Edwards, the BBC or the tabloid press?
Are you happy as those in power, judges, politicians and perverts are removing your voice box?
Is it just to keep you quiet..?
