Panodrama

I’ve not seen all of the footage as I just haven’t had the time. However, I’ll make a couple of points from my early impressions. This is not going to be a death blow to the BBC. The stuff that Sweeney was recorded saying wasn’t enough to do any lasting harm. However – and this is the nub – had the boot been on the other foot, there would have been hell to pay. Context be damned, slip of a drunken tongue be damned. So, yes, he was talking allegorically when he referenced Amazonian cannibals and he did try to say that during the exchange, but would someone on the receiving end of a BBC expose have been allowed such an excuse?

So, on the one hand, I don’t think this will have any lasting impact. However, on the other, it was amusing to see a BBC reporter getting a taste of his own medicine.

Mr Sweeney is heard saying “one of my political heroes is the former head of the IRA Martin McGuinness”, which the BBC says was taken out of context as Mr Sweeney was referencing Mr McGuinness’s role in the peace process.

Doesn’t matter, frankly. Nothing McGuinness did subsequent to the troubles can exonerate him for what he did during them. He was a vile murderer and looking up to him tells us much about the kind of people who do it.

“Some of the footage which has been released was recorded without our knowledge during this investigation and John Sweeney made some offensive and inappropriate remarks, for which he apologises. BBC Panorama’s investigation will continue.”

Given that they are happy enough to do this to others, suck it up, is all I can say.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said they “roundly condemn Tommy Robinson… and his fellow, far-right thugs who intend to intimidate staff at the corporation, particularly those working on Panorama”.

“BBC staff should be free to do their jobs without these threats,” the NUJ spokesperson added.

“Intimidation, threats and violence carried out by far-right protesters systematically targeting the media, especially photojournalists, are becoming more frequent and we will always call out this behaviour and report criminal activity to the police.”

What threats? What intimidation? What violence? Seems the NUJ is doing precisely what its members do on a daily basis – Fake News.