MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Sunday said that the 1995 explosive interview with Princess Diana, obtained by "deceitful" methods, has significantly compromised the reputation of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
On Thursday, a report on a related inquiry led by a retired judge and peer John Dyson on how the interview was taken, found that tv journalist Martin Bashir behaved in a "deceitful way" and used "fake documents" to coerce Princess Diana to agree to a conversation. The report also criticized the BBC for conducting a "woefully ineffective" probe into the interview a year after it was obtained.
"There is no doubt this world-class institution, its reputation has been highly damaged... Lessons will have to be learned - there is no question about that," Patel said at The Andrew Marr show on BBC One.
She also noted that the upcoming state mid-term review of the corporation's royal charter, aimed to focus on its management and regulatory arrangements and scheduled to be carried out in 2022, would be "a very significant and serious moment" for the BBC, given its reputation has been harmed.
Patel also stressed that the media corporation would have to make efforts to regain trust and confidence, and reflect on "where it stands in a multimedia world."
After the report on the BBC's wrongdoings were published, Prince William accused the broadcaster of having caused irrevocable damage to his mother, whose confession on an affair along with disclosure of her marriage details concerning the heir to the throne and father of her two sons, Prince Charles, during the scandalous interview, shocked the public.
