Yes, Martin Bashir used forgery and falsehood, but the response has been an epic groundswell of hypocrisy
The BBC crashes out of the sky, again. The forgery and falsehood used by Martin Bashir to help work his way into Diana, Princess of Wales’s confidence was despicable, her sons’ outrage inevitable. It remains inexplicable that the BBC branded him still “an honourable man”, though the fateful rehiring in 2016 appears more cock-up than conspiracy: Tony Hall didn’t know until too late; James Harding, the ex-Times editor, had never heard what everyone knew about Bashir’s skulduggery. These were terrible errors, terribly covered up.
But here we are again: another scandal, another triumph for the BBC’s enemies. However often its governance is restructured – twice already by the Conservatives – no journalism is ever iron-clad against future trouble. The vultures are circling. Priti Patel on the Andrew Marr Show warned that “all options, naturally, will be considered” for the BBC’s proper “governance, accountability and transparency”. She joins the epic groundswell of hypocrisy, her behaviour contrary to the ministerial code and yet she escaped unscathed, her untransparent, under-governed Home Office still abusing Windrush victims and randomly imprisoning European travellers. But this is open season.
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