BBC's Gilligan doomed

THE SUN ^ | 08/25/03 | NIC CECIL

[Pikamax]

BBC's Gilligan doomed

Gilligan ... faces the sack By NIC CECIL Political Correspondent

BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan faces the axe over the Dr David Kelly suicide row, it emerged last night.

Defence Correspondent Gilligan, 34, is expected to be allowed to resign rather than be sacked.

But a BBC insider said last night: “It would be unthinkable for him to return to the corporation at any level now.”

Scientist Dr Kelly killed himself after being named as the source for Gilligan’s claim that a Government dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was “sexed up”.

Gilligan has been repeatedly slammed at the Hutton Inquiry into Dr Kelly’s death.

Last week the inquiry heard he sought to guide a Lib Dem MP on what questions to ask Dr Kelly when he appeared before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. He was also blasted for revealing to the MP that the weapons expert was a source of a story by Newsnight reporter Susan Watts.

An email from Kevin Marsh, head of Radio 4’s Today programme, showed he feared Gilligan, pictured right, appeared to be “wallowing” in his role in the row. Mr Marsh urged him to change a newspaper article he wrote, toning down the “extent to which you seem to be enjoying the attention”.

New evidence handed to the Inquiry also revealed Special Branch cops considered arresting Dr Kelly to question him about a sensitive report on Iraq’s terror links given to Mr Gilligan.

No evidence was found that Dr Kelly was involved in this leak.

PM Tony Blair takes the stand at the Inquiry on Thursday.

[Paleo Conservative]

[DPB101]

But a BBC insider said last night: “It would be unthinkable for him to return to the corporation at any level now.” Oh...sounds like a great sequel....Gilligan tries to return but everytime he gets close to BBS studios a big white balloon appears and chases him off.

[Sapper26]

I wonder if the BBC's Professor will be able to save him.

[Atchafalaya]

Doomed, he should seek solace in the bosum of ???

[squidly]

Did the NYT ever fill the opening after they fired Jayson Blair? Gilligan should give 'em a ring, would fit right in.

[Sapper26]

Tough call. Personally, I always was a Mary-Ann kind of guy. However; if you're doomed, go for Ginger - she was a tramp.

[Gil4]

They are just going to fire a 34-yr-old reporter over this mess? I think somewhere along the line the Skipper needs to go, too.

[Highest Authority]

The BBC, the New York Times and Pravda, "Happy Together"!

[Criminal Number 18F]

NYT

Gilligan can't take the Blair job, that is reserved for mendacious minorities only. But that's OK. That's just one token position, the rest of jobs at the Times are available to truth-deficient whites.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F