The BBC has reportedly ramped up its investigation into senior news anchor Huw Edwards. This news comes after Edwards received an ‘all clear’ by Met Police, and despite his wife pleading for privacy while the star is hospitalized treating ‘serious mental issues’.
This all has to be read in the context of a BBC haunted by the ghost of Jimmy Savile scandal.
GBN reported:
“Edwards has received an outpouring of support after the police concluded that there was ‘no information to indicate a criminal offence’ had occurred.
Yet sources have told the Guardian that BBC journalists continue to work on further stories involving the presenter.”
The news establishment is trying to lock arms besides Edwards, but Newsnight host Victoria Derbyshire has begun to ramp it up the investigation again, with further claims that he ‘pursued younger staff with flirtatious messages’ and ‘abused his position’ as one of the broadcaster biggest stars.
“Huw Edwards was described by former colleague Jon Sopel as being ‘extremely angry’ with the handling of the multiple allegations levied against him, and ‘not overly impressed with BBC coverage’.”
[…] BBC execs are now mulling over whether to back BBC presenter’s disgruntled co-workers’ complaints or support BBC journalists investigating the BBC presenter and BBC handling of the complaints.”
The outing of Huw Edwards by his wife came after a week-long guessing game about ‘who was the mystery BBC broadcaster who had reportedly paid a young person in exchange for sexual images’.
The Guardian reported:
“’The idea a big public figure has a double life is going to excite huge interest, but we don’t know the facts yet’, said one former senior BBC news chief. ‘The BBC must work out if it has been brought into disrepute. The claims could certainly be construed as very undermining of Edwards’ role as the face of the BBC’s coverage of state occasions. He has a special relationship of trust with the public’.
In an alternative world, Edwards, the BBC’s best-paid journalist, might have been swiftly informed of a complaint about his private life, originally made on 19 May. He might then have disproved it with ease, or instead been reprimanded for secretly playing fast and loose with the corporation’s reputation.”
Now, many are also starting to question the editorial decisions taken in the Sun’s newsroom – calling them ‘puzzling’.
“A key issue remains why [the Sun’s] editor Victoria Newton did not print denials from the young person at the core of its story that any harm had been done. The result was the publication of a lurid front-page splash, quoting just the young person’s mother, which has put the BBC in the dock.”
The Sun’s story was rebutted by the alleged victim’s lawyers, the Met police then said ‘there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed’.
But many journalists are working on the story – including in the BBC itself.
Independent reported:
“BBC bosses told staff in an email that ‘gossip will not be tolerated’ amid speculation over the Huw Edwards scandal, it has been reported.
Staff at the BBC were warned that speculating about what had happened would damage the corporation.
‘The purpose of the email was very clearly to contain the situation and stop BBC staff fuelling the fire that had been blazing since the story broke’, a source told.”
A Survation newspaper poll revealed that 53% of readers wanted Edwards back on TV ‘if he is cleared of serious wrongdoing’. Only 32% felt he should not be allowed to continue in his role.
