Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, accused former BBC Panorama reporter Martin Bashir of defamatory claims about senior royals.
Lord Michael Grade a former BBC chairman (2004-2006) said “there is a very dark cloud hanging over BBC journalism,” during World at One program on BBC’s Radio 4, Monday. “We have got to get into the timeline – who knew what, when? The real question is, did they breach all the ethics of journalism, which they appear to have done?” he added. (RELATED: BBC Pulls Ed Westwick Drama Amid Rape Allegations)
Former BBC’s Director General, Lord Tony Hall, and other managers were possibly involved in shutting down the scandal,” according to Daily Mail. The current BBC Director General Tim Davie said, “we are in the process of commissioning a robust and independent investigation.
BBC’s Bashir ‘misled Diana’s brother to secure Panorama interview’ https://t.co/h4pn2qME53
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) October 4, 2020
Daily Mail was given “extraordinary insight into Mr. Bashir’s methods” by Diana’s brother Earl Spencer last week, due to the notes from a meeting between him and Diana in 1995.
Spencer says Bashir “played on the princess’s paranoia” lying about “Queen’s health, Prince Charles being ‘in love’ with nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke and Diana’s own staff betraying her to MI5 and the newspapers”, according to Daily Mail.
Spencer tried to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) documents from BBC for years, but was continually rejected as BBC said the requested documents didn’t exist. However the broadcaster found 67 pages after a Channel 4 reporter contacted them, reports Daily Mail.
The BBC has apologized for the faked statements, but has insisted they played “no part in her (Diana’s) decision to take part in the interview.”