'Don't throw baby out with the bathwater' over BBC, caller tells James O'Brien
21 May 2021, 13:44
James O'Brien caller reacts to Martin Bashir conduct
This caller told LBC that you shouldn't 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' in addressing the deceit used by BBC journalist Martin Bashir to secure Princess Diana's 1995 interview.
The conversation began with James challenging Ed from Hornchurch over his opinion that "the Martin Bashir case is specific. It's about an individual in an organisation who did some bad things".
James said: "And coverups. It's not just him. Tony Hall comes out of this absolutely stinking."
Ed then agreed, saying: "They should all be held responsible, there's no two ways about it. But, you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. You don't smash a business to pieces because there are some individuals or processes that don't work. What you do is you sanction the individuals, you investigate, you look at the processes and you fix them."
Ed suggested that having a board to review the BBC's content could be as effective as 'hitting someone with a club' when they make errors, saying "eventually you're not going to do that thing".
James O'Brien reacts to Martin Bashir's past conduct
READ MORE: 'I've never seen anything like it': Nick Ferrari blasts BBC over Diana interview
James then remarked that this could eventually mean "you become cowed", and revealed the time that a senior member of the BBC had to sit in on his interview with Iain Duncan Smith to "keep an eye" on him.
"They become so fearful of losing access. You saw this at Good Morning Britain in perhaps the clearest of terms when Piers Morgan was in the chair and they all refused to come on. And through sheer force of Piers Morgan's profile and personality they got away with it, but I couldn't.
"You couldn't be political editor of BBC or ITV and they threaten to withdraw access if you do journalism they don't like."
