WMD claim reporter quits BBC (CNN spinning like a top for BBC)

CNN ^ | 30 JAN 2004

[Libertarian444]

LONDON, England (CNN) --Reporter Andrew Gilligan who was criticized in the Hutton Report for saying the UK government exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein to justify war has resigned from the BBC.

Gilligan's report, based on an interview with weapons expert David Kelly, sparked a huge controversy last summer that eventually led to the scientist taking his own life.

[GeronL]

Someone play that song "I'm so dizzy!..."

[Cicero]

My take from the beginning was that David Kelly was a naive left-wing jerk who made the mistake of talking to a left-wing reporter in confidence, who then probably violated his confidence, leaked things told to him "off the record," and exaggerated what was said. And he wrote the story in such a way that it would be obvious who leaked it.

Kelly killed himself when he realized that he had screwed up his career, trusted the wrong guy, and was about to be fired for slandering his bosses and lying about government policy.

Then the BBC tried to spin the blame for Kelly's suicide by blaming it on Blair.

The right three guys have resigned. Now they should clean house, but this will probably be the end of it. At least the three most guilty parties got what was coming to them.

[mcenedo]

missed the part about this being a taxpayer funded operation.

[In_25_words_or_less]

Those responsible have been sacked.

[Chu Gary]

Alright, the New York Slimes has taken a hard fall. Now the BBC. Who's next the Int'l Herald Tribune, the LA Slimes, the Wash Compost, the Boston Globe, that rag in Baltimore, maybe the Chicago Tribune - this is such fun watching these witch hunters get stewed in their own vile juices. We have plenty of evil fishwrappers here in Florida - I'd be happy to see any of them implode.

[skinkinthegrass]

Those responsible have been sacked.

Those responsible for "those responsible" have been sacked...Oh!, never mind.

...at least no cheese-eating moose have bitten anyone's sister, Yet.

[VaBthang4]

This is literally how I had to filter this...

LONDON, England (CNN) --Reporter Andrew Gilligan *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE has resigned from the BBC.

Gilligan's report, based on an interview with weapons expert David Kelly, sparked a huge controversy last summer that eventually led to the scientist taking his own life.

The BBC confirmed on Friday that Gilligan had quit, adding *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE."

In a statement to the Press Association, Gilligan admitted that some of his reporting about an intelligence dossier on Iraq weapons of mass destruction before the war was wrong.

He added: "I again apologise for it. My departure is at my own initiative. But the BBC collectively has been the victim of a grave injustice."

Gilligan said he had not been forced to resign but was quitting to protect the institution he "loved."

But with the BBC also reeling from the resignations of its chairman and director general in two days, opinion polls *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE.

In a poll *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE.

The poll found that *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE.

A separate poll *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE.

Following the BBC's "unreserved" apology for its reports on the government's handling of intelligence on Iraqi weapons, Blair said it was time to "draw a line" under the Kelly affair.

But the outgoing director general, whose departure was greeted by protests and walkouts by BBC staff, indicated *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE.

"*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE."

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has indicated the BBC will not seek to use the upcoming review of the BBC's charter to punish the corporation.

She said *IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*
IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE*IGNORE."

While the BBC's governance would be on the agenda of the 10-yearly review, Lord Hutton's findings would not determine the outcome, she said.

Lord Hutton's report into the death of Dr Kelly was deeply critical of the BBC, branding its editorial processes "defective" and saying its governors were wrong to defend Gilligan after he made "unfounded" claims that the government had sexed up its weapons dossier.

Ministers were cleared of "underhand" behaviour in the naming of Kelly as Gilligan's secret source and Lord Hutton found they had not embellished the dossier with information they knew to be unreliable.

[colorado tanker]

You are quite right. It's been apparent from the beginning that Kelly's going over the edge was the Beeb's fault. The British public seems to be having a hard time reconciling their prejudices and biases to the facts.