The BBC urgently needs to clarify its actions to the presenter – otherwise it risks irreparable damage to public confidence
BBC under fire
THREE days have passed since The Sun first reported harrowing allegations that a top BBC presenter had sent tens of thousands of pounds to a vulnerable teenager who was providing him with sex images.
The teenager, who was just 17 when the two first met, used the money to pay for deadly crack cocaine, jeopardizing his own health and tearing his desperate family apart.
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The BBC says it has “very serious” questions to answer and its reputation is suffering “serious damage”.
Politicians from all sides, meanwhile, say it is “deeply concerning” that the presenter, who has been accused of serious misconduct, was not immediately removed from the show and are calling for a full investigation.
The moderator was suspended yesterday.
The heart of the scandal is as follows: The teenager’s concerned parents first contacted the BBC on May 19.
Why on earth didn’t the hosts of managers immediately question the moderator or start a full investigation?
Why was it only well over a month after the initial complaint that meaningful action was taken when The Sun contacted the BBC?
The parents claim that payments to their crack-addicted child have since continued.
Just because nothing happened and the well-known name continued to appear on their TV screens, they turned to this newspaper in utter desperation.
They didn’t ask for payment.
They just wanted the payments that are harming their child to stop.
The BBC has a sad history of ignoring complaints and rumors about its own presenters, with sometimes dire consequences.
She urgently needs to come clean about her actions in this latest case – otherwise she risks irreparable damage to public confidence.
working cooler
IN AN affront to press freedom, Labor is set to oppose a government attempt to repeal Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act.
The clause would force publishers that don’t join a state-backed regulator to pay the legal fees of those suing them, even if they win the case.
The chilling effect this would have on the ability to uncover wrongdoing by the rich and powerful cannot be overstated.
Labor says there is no point in repealing Section 40 because it never came into force.
What disingenuous nonsense.
Although it is in the statutes, the suspicion will remain that the party’s real intention is to use the clause in force to tie up any media who disagree with it.
Test special
What a weekend for British sport.
Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton were on the podium at Silverstone.
And we clinched a delicious win for England in the third Ashes Test – all without Aussie-style cunning.