The BBC is facing “serious questions” about why it rehired Martin Bashir after an internal review of the journalist’s interview with Princess Diana.
Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Committee Chairman Julian Knight said he was writing to the current CEO of the company, Tim Davie, who returned to his post last year, at the about the decision to re-employ Bashir in 2016.
It was then that Bashir Became the BBCcorrespondent for religious affairs – about two decades after the Panorama episode that made him a household name in journalism – and 17 years after leaving the BBC for ITV.
Mr Knight said: “As a result of the Dyson report, there are still some serious questions to be answered.
“Namely, why was Martin Bashir rehired, the BBC knowing what they knew?”
“I want to know how the BBC can reassure the committee that there could be no repeat of the serious shortcomings highlighted by the Dyson report.
“More than ever, the BBC must be transparent and honest in its response.”
After the publication of a damning report on the organization of the interview, the former director of BBC News apologized for the decision to rehire Bashir, who later became editor of religion.
James Harding, who held the post when Bashir was rehired, said the responsibility for the journalist’s return to the company “sit down with me” and acknowledged that the situation was “really distressing for everyone and depressing for anyone. cares about journalism or cares about the BBC. “.
Speaking to BBC News on Friday about Bashir’s rehiring, Mr Harding said: “Much of what is known now was not known at the time – and not by me.
“I didn’t know and if I had known he wouldn’t have gotten the job.
“The fact, I can’t help but think that the fact that he was rehired in 2016 made it more difficult for everyone, so I’m sorry he was.”
Asked if the former Managing Director Lord Hall, who conducted an internal investigation into the Diana …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-21 15:34:00
