The BBC did not achieve “high standards of integrity and transparency” in the interview that journalist Martin Bashir did with Princess Diana in 1995, according to an independent investigation released Thursday.
The investigation concluded that Bashir acted in a “deceptive” manner and falsified documents to achieve the meeting with the Princess of Wales.
It also indicates that the BBC’s own internal investigation into 1996 about what happened was “woefully ineffective.”
Both the BBC and Bashir apologized.
Prince William, son of Diana Spencer and Charles of England, affirmed that his mother was failed not only by a “rogue reporter”, but also by those responsible for the BBC at the time.
The The BBC said they were exposed “clear failures” and admitted that it should have made more efforts to get to the bottom of what it happened at that time.
The corporation has sent apologies to Prince Charles and Princes William and Harry, as well as Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer.
For his part, the journalist Maritn Bashir also apologized and said that falsifying documents “was stupid” and that he regrets it, but he considered that this had nothing to do with Diana’s decision to grant him the interview.
John Dyson, the retired judge who led the investigation, determined that:
- Bashir seriously violated BBC rules by generating fake bank statements to have access to the princess.
- He showed the false documents to Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, to earn his trust and q The latter would introduce him to the princess.
- By gaining access to Princess Diana in this way, Bashir was able to persuade her to agree to grant the interview.
- When the BBC carried out its own investigation into the tactics used by Bashir in 1996, “did not meet the high standards of integrity and transparency that are its hallmark.”
- A letter from Princess Diana, published as evidence, says that she “does not regret” giving the interview.
Prince William blamed the mistakes made by the BBC in the interview for the deterioration of the relationship between his parents and contributing to the paranoia of the then Princess of Wales.
William said in a recorded message that what caused “the greatest sadness” was finding out that his mother never knew that she had been cheated on.
His brother , e Prince Harry also criticized British public broadcaster for its role in the events and said in a statement that “the domino effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices” in the media was what ended up costing the life of her mother.
After learning the results of the investigation, the BBC has written to both of Diana’s children to apologize. Also, to Count Spencer, Diana’s brother, and to Prince Charles, her husband when the interview was broadcast.
century ”
The meeting between the journalist and the princess was a great first for the BBC, considered as“ the interview of the century ”in UK.
It was the first time a royal spoke so openly about what life is like within the British royal family.
Viewers saw it talk about her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles, her conflicts and her bulimia.
“There were three of us in this marriage,” she said.
But since then, Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer has questioned the tactics used by the journalist to obtain the interview.
An independent investigation was commissioned by the BBC last year , after Spencer made the allegations public. Their findings were published this Thursday.
Judge Dyson found that Bashir deceived Diana’s brother by showing him falsified bank statements that deceptively suggested that the princess was being watched by paid people.
The investigation indicates that Bashir lied when he told BBC officials that he had not shown the false documents to anyone.
She also described that important parts of Bashir’s statements about the events of 1995 they were “Inc untrustworthy, unreliable and in some cases dishonest. ”
BBC Director-General Tim Davie said:“ Although the report states that Diana, the Princess of Wales, was Interested in the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what the public is entitled to expect. We are very sorry for this. Lord Dyson has identified clear flaws. ”
“ While today’s BBC has significantly better processes and procedures, the ones that existed at the time should have prevented the interview from being secured in this way ”He continued.
“ The BBC should have made a greater effort to get to the bottom of what happened at the time and have been more transparent about what it knew. While the BBC cannot turn back time after a quarter century, it can offer a full and unconditional apology. The BBC offers that today. ”
Princess Diana’s note
With the conclusions of the investigation, the note written by the princess in December of was also made public for the first time in which she assures that she is not sorry.
The note was written after the interview was broadcast.
Dyson explained that the document was found in November of 2020 and delivered to BBC officials.
“Martin Bashir did not show me any documents, nor did he give me any information that I did not know before,” says the note.
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What does Bashir say?
In a statement, Bashir apologized for falsifying the documents, but said he was still “immensely proud” of the interview.
“The bank statements did not influence the decision at all Princess Diana’s staff to participate in the interview, ”he said.
” The evidence submitted to the investigation in your own handwriting unequivocally confirms this, and other compelling evidence presented to Lord Dyson reinforces it. ”
Last week, the journalist from 58 years left the BBC, citing health problems . He had been a religion correspondent and editor of the corporation since 1996.
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