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There have been pressing NATO conferences concerning the struggle in Ukraine, raging floods from India to Vermont, and a file warmth wave throughout America. However this week the BBC wound up airing wall-to-wall protection of a special story: itself.
The affirmation that Huw Edwards, a outstanding BBC anchor, was the unnamed particular person on the coronary heart of allegations of sexual misconduct ended days of breathless hypothesis that consumed Britain’s public broadcaster. But it left a lingering sense of unease concerning the function of the British information media — and its much more intrusive cousin, social media — within the unmasking of a public determine.
Mr. Edwards, his spouse mentioned on Wednesday, has been hospitalized with a psychological breakdown aggravated by a tabloid newspaper report that he paid tens of hundreds of kilos to an adolescent for sexually express photographs. The police mentioned they discovered no proof that Mr. Edwards had dedicated a criminal offense, elevating questions on why the BBC devoted hours of airtime, or the papers acres of newsprint, to what turned out to be the non-public lifetime of one of many broadcaster’s stars.
The allegations have been salacious, to make sure — catnip for the British press — and the BBC was making an attempt to point out journalistic integrity by not shying away from embarrassing information a few member of its personal employees.
However the bigger purpose for the saturation protection, media executives, editors and analysts mentioned, is that Mr. Edwards is not any odd information anchor, and the BBC is not any odd media outlet.
“It’s at all times within the heart of the storm due to its energy,” mentioned Howard Stringer, a former president of CBS who served on the BBC’s board. “The BBC, just like the monarchy, is a logo of continuity in a polarized society.”
Mr. Edwards, 61, occupied a lofty perch on this singular establishment, not in contrast to that of Walter Cronkite, the CBS anchor who was as soon as the face and voice of historical past for thousands and thousands of Individuals. Grey-haired and grave, he broke the information of the demise of Queen Elizabeth II final September after which led the BBC’s protection of the coronation of King Charles III in Might. An anchor on the flagship “BBC Information at Ten” program, he’s the broadcaster’s go-to journalist for history-in-the-making.
“You possibly can’t consider anybody else in British journalism in the intervening time who captured that sense of stability,” mentioned Mr. Stringer, who, like Mr. Edwards, was born in Wales.
The BBC’s distinctive standing, he mentioned, and the truth that it’s financed by means of a obligatory license charge imposed on most British households, makes it a ripe goal for politicians and rivals. Even earlier than this episode, the BBC lurched from disaster to disaster over the conduct and statements of a few of its most outstanding figures. It has usually discovered itself within the political cross hairs, focused from each the best and left.
The drama involving Mr. Edwards started final Friday, when The Solar, a tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch, reported that an unnamed BBC employees member had paid {the teenager} greater than £35,000, or nearly $45,000, for express pictures over a interval of a number of years that started when the particular person was 17.
Beneath British legislation, the age of consent is 16, however it’s a crime to take, make, share or possess indecent photographs of anybody underneath 18.
After initially saying it was wanting into whether or not a criminal offense had been dedicated, the London police mentioned on Wednesday that there was no proof to recommend Mr. Edwards had performed so. The Solar responded by saying it will publish no additional allegations. As an alternative, it mentioned it will flip over its file on Mr. Edwards to the BBC, which is conducting its personal investigation into the matter.
However critics mentioned the harm had been performed. Whereas the paper didn’t identify Mr. Edwards, his id rapidly turned an open secret in our on-line world. And whereas The Solar’s editors say they by no means accused the employees member of a criminal offense, the paper revealed a narrative underneath the headline, “Prime BBC star who ‘paid baby for intercourse photos’ could possibly be charged by cops and face years in jail, skilled says.”
Along with the allegations concerning the sexually express photographs, the BBC itself reported on Tuesday {that a} second younger particular person had come ahead claiming that the male employees member — now recognized as Mr. Edwards — had despatched indignant and abusive messages to the particular person through a courting app.
Mr. Edwards’s spouse, Vicky Flind, mentioned he would handle the scenario when he regained his well being. However given the sordid nature of the allegations, it’s onerous to think about a situation wherein he returns to an anchor chair on the BBC, the place he started as a information trainee in 1984. In a press release on behalf of Mr. Edwards, his spouse mentioned he could be receiving inpatient care “for the foreseeable future.”
“What we had was a kangaroo courtroom, which destroyed somebody who didn’t commit a criminal offense,” mentioned Claire Enders, a London-based media analyst. “The BBC bought drawn into the feeding frenzy. It bought drawn right into a lure set by The Solar.”
The BBC, to make sure, sophisticated its personal scenario. The broadcaster waited seven weeks after the mom of {the teenager} lodged her preliminary criticism with its viewers providers division to confront Mr. Edwards concerning the allegations or to escalate the matter to the highest ranges of the BBC.
Solely after The Solar contacted the broadcaster on July 6 with further allegations from the mom did the BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, get entangled. Mr. Davie later admitted that the episode confirmed the necessity to re-examine how complaints are “purple flagged by means of the group.” On this case, he famous that the primary criticism, whereas severe, “didn’t embrace an allegation of criminality.”
As soon as the BBC acted, critics mentioned it went overboard in its protection. The allegations led each newscast and have been performed on the high of the BBC’s web site, which additionally ran an exhaustive reside briefing. Correspondents referred repeatedly to the unnamed “presenter,” regardless that his id was so well-known within the newsroom that at one level, a number mistakenly mentioned “Huw” as an alternative of “who.”
The story eclipsed the NATO summit assembly in Vilnius, Lithuania, the place Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivered a speech about Britain’s army help for Ukraine. Mr. Sunak bought extra protection for his remark, on the best way to Vilnius, when he referred to as the experiences of funds by the presenter “stunning and regarding.”
“The BBC misplaced its sense of proportion,” mentioned Alan Rusbridger, a former editor of The Guardian. “It will get into this mind-set the place it feels it should make up for sluggishness in dealing with points by displaying a clear pair of palms in protecting them.”
The stress is especially intense due to the legacy of Jimmy Savile, the comic and BBC host who was uncovered as a serial intercourse predator after his demise in 2011. The BBC was accused of protecting up allegations towards Mr. Savile; the fallout from that scandal price one in all Mr. Davie’s predecessors his job.
But historical past additionally performed a component within the BBC’s refusal to call Mr. Edwards. In 2018, the British singer, Cliff Richard, gained a privateness case towards the broadcaster after it aired photos of a police raid on his dwelling after he confronted a sexual assault allegation. Mr. Richard was by no means arrested or charged, and the BBC ended up paying him a 2 million pound ($2.6 million) settlement.
On the coronary heart of each such story is the query of the right way to steadiness a person’s proper to privateness with the general public’s curiosity in understanding the reality. Within the age of Twitter and Fb, nonetheless, that has turn into an more and more moot train. Mr. Edwards’s identify was trending on Twitter inside a day of The Solar’s report.
“This can be a significantly problematic case,” Mr. Rusbridger mentioned. “He’s a really well-known journalist, and he works in a gossipy business, so it was inevitable that his identify would come out. You drop sufficient hints and let Twitter do the remaining.”
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