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The Beeb vs Blair
BY JAMES TARANTO Friday, July 18, 2003 3:51 p.m. EDT As in America, a concerted effort is under way in Britain to discredit the liberation of Iraq. Because Tony Blairâs Labour Party dominates the government in a way that Americaâs Republicans do not (yet), the role of disloyal opposition is being played not by a formal political party but by the taxpayer-funded British Broadcasting Corp. On May 29, as a Times of London timeline recounts, a story by reporter Andrew Gilligan aired on a BBC radio station. It included "claims by an unnamed intelligence source that Downing Street âsexed upâ the dossier on alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq." Specifically, Gilligan accused communications chief Alistair Campbell of having inserted into a report a claim that Iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction "within 45 minutes." The Foreign Affairs Committee of Britainâs Parliament investigated and issued a report earlier this month that cleared Campbell of Gilliganâs charge. The Ministry of Defense identified David Kelly, a former weapons inspector, as the likely source of Gilliganâs charge. Kelly did indeed meet Gilligan, at the latterâs request, for an interview on May 22. "But Dr Kelly said he did not think he could have been the source for the story," the Daily Telegraph reports--although he acknowledged, in the Telegraphâs words, "that elements of his story were similar to things they had discussed, such as a suggestion there was a 30 per cent probability Iraq had chemical weapons." Now Kelly is apparently dead. He "had not been seen since leaving his home at around 3pm yesterday after telling his wife he was going for a walk," reports the Edinburgh Evening News. "Police said the body of a man was found close to his Oxfordshire home--an hour after a public appeal was made." The Associated Press quotes television journalist Tom Mangold, who says he spoke to Kellyâs wife this morning: "She told me he had been under considerable stress, that he was very, very angry about what had happened at the committee, that he wasnât well, that he had been to a safe house, he hadnât liked that, he wanted to come home," Mangold told ITV news. "She didnât use the word depressed, but she said he was very, very stressed and unhappy about what had happened and this was really not the kind of world he wanted to live in." "Westminster insiders said the possible suicide of Dr Kelly would make Mr Campbellâs position as Downing Streetâs director of communications impossible," reports the Edinburgh paper. "They also questioned whether Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon--who effectively named Dr Kelly as Mr Gilliganâs âsourceâ--could continue. One senior figure said: âThis raises questions about the conduct of people at the very top of Tony Blairâs administration.â " If Kelly committed suicide, his is obviously a tragic story. But if indeed he was Gilliganâs source, itâs not clear why this should reflect unfavorably on the government. His suicide, after all, would demonstrate that he was mentally ill, which hardly enhances the credibility of whatever he told Gilligan. Gilligan is still mum as to who was the source for the "sexed up" allegation. According to the Timesâ Tom Baldwin, the Beeb is not exactly standing behind its report: The BBC will not admit that the allegations are false but nor does it still insist that the story was correct--merely that it has the right to broadcast what it wants. Greg Dyke, the BBC Director-General, has persuaded his governing board that a high principle of independence is at stake and an apology would cede editorial control to No 10. The BBC, which is a creation of the British government, claims it is holding the government accountable for alleged dishonesty. But faced with the possibility that it "sexed up" its own report, the Beeb proclaims its immunity from accountability as a matter of high principle. Last night CNNâs Aaron Brown interviewed Matt Frei, the BBCâs Washington correspondent, about Tony Blairâs speech to Congress. Frei made mostly disparaging comments about Blair, President Bush and Iraqâs liberation. In introducing Frei, Brown made no reference to the adversarial relationship between Blairâs government and the Beeb. At least with respect to the Iraq war, the BBC is a political player, not merely a disinterested conveyor of information. One may hope the tragedy of David Kelly will make this impossible for journalists on this side of the Atlantic to ignore. Updates & Additional Information: The current reporting indicates Dr Kellyâs death appears to be suicide. Was it due to pressure from the Govt or the BBC? One take on the topic... BBC Watch (referenced above) presents its efforts in a report and analysis format. A report on the current flap regards Dr Kelly has not yet been released. Biased BBC, another BBC Bias watcher has these relevant items: - The Sky is Still Falling in Baghdad - The Beeb vs Blair - Pressure? Whoâs Under Pressure? Andrew Sullivan has this update: The BBCâs Unreaveling Glenn Reynolds at InstaPundit has this: The BBC Is Getting Pounded in The Times The last link offers a new definition of BBC: Blundering Bombastic Cynicism. Sounds about right to me. Sexed up. Yeah, thatâs the ticket. Posted by: PD 2003-07-20 |
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