Disagreement over Huw Edwards amid new claims that BBC star despatched inappropriate texts
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he Huw Edwards storm grew on Thursday because the star presenter continued to obtain hospital remedy and the BBC confronted contemporary questions on its strategy after revealing new claims about his conduct.
Amid a deepening confrontation, the general public continued to digest the news that the 61-year-old newsreader was the person on the centre of the express photographs scandal that has dominated entrance pages for days.
Edwards, who has anchored the BBC’s protection of main state events in addition to being its most high-profile and well-paid news presenter, was named yesterday by his wife Vicky Flind because the beforehand unidentified star accused of paying for specific photographs to be despatched to him by a teen after making contact on a relationship app.
She stated that Edwards — who has additionally confronted claims of sending “creepy” messages to a different younger individual and breaking Covid lockdown guidelines to fulfill one other — was in hospital receiving remedy for “serious mental health issues” which had “greatly worsened” because the allegations about his behaviour emerged. Neither Edwards nor his spouse have commented but on the latest allegations.
Her assertion got here moments after the Metropolitan Police introduced that there was “no information to indicate that a criminal offence” had been dedicated by the presenter.
But inside hours the BBC — which was already underneath hearth for not responding to the preliminary allegations swiftly sufficient and failing to train its obligation of care to Edwards — risked deepening the controversy about its dealing with of the affair by broadcasting new claims that he had despatched inappropriate messages to colleagues.
The BBC report cited two of the company’s workers and one former worker, with one claiming that Edwards had despatched late messages with kisses that they believed had been “an abuse of power” and one other saying that they had obtained messages about their look which had given them a “cold shudder”.
The third individual quoted claimed to have obtained “inappropriate” messages which the BBC stated appeared “to be flirtatious”.
The determination to press forward with the disclosures prompted a direct backlash, with the BBC’s former North America editor and political correspondent Jon Sopel accusing the company of “terrible” behaviour.
“Dear BBCRadio4 BBCNews, Well done on handling the breaking news about thehuwedwards and the fact that he’s now being treated in hospital — but to then straight off the back of that into a report on him facing fresh allegations of misconduct? That was just terrible,” he tweeted. Sopel, who added that he wished Edwards effectively whereas describing the controversy as an “awful and shocking episode”, additionally rebuked radio host Jeremy Vine for his earlier call for Edwards to identify himself to guard different presenters from unjustified vitriol.
Times journalist Andrew Billen, who met Edwards for lunch final Thursday, stated the broadcaster thought of himself “an outsider at the BBC” due to his Welsh roots and lack of an Oxford training. He informed Times Radio that Edwards had a status for being “indiscreet” and “might have a capacity for recklessness”.
Billen stated: “He is a performer”, including: “Of course he is presenting a face and as a professional, consummate presenter, he knows how to perform”.
Sir Craig Oliver, a former BBC journalist who labored with Edwards on News at Ten earlier than changing into the Downing Street head of communications, stated the best way the story had been coated ought to make journalists take into consideration how they work.
“I think one of the things that has really come out of this is should news just slow down and allow the processes to take place, allow the facts to emerge and then report the story?” he stated.
There had been additionally questions concerning the position of The Sun, which revealed the preliminary allegations. Its former editor, David Yelland, wrote on Twitter: “I wish thehuwedwards well. The Sun inflicted terror on Huw despite no evidence of any criminal offence. This is no longer a BBC crisis, it is a crisis for the paper. Huw’s privacy must now be respected.”
But Adam Boulton, a former political editor at Sky News defended the paper, saying that its reporting “looks like it is in the legitimate public interest”.
“Those on television who hold others to account for their behaviour have to be prepared to be held to account,” he informed Sky’s Sophy Ridge. “A lot of careers ended a long way short of criminality because it was felt that they were bringing the organisation, which they represented, into disrepute.”
The Sun broke the story about an unnamed presenter, claiming that he had obtained specific photographs after paying cash to a teen, which the individual had used to gasoline a drug behavior. The paper insisted final evening that regardless of the police conclusion that no crime was dedicated it had revealed allegations that had been “very serious” and that it remained for the BBC to correctly examine.
Further allegations emerged within the wake of The Sun’s first story together with claims that Edwards despatched “creepy” messages and, in accordance with the BBC, directed abusive expletives at one other individual after being threatened with publicity on-line.
The BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, has promised to assessment how complaints about its workers arehandled and to hold out an inside investigation into Edwards’s conduct. He informed workers yesterday that the company’s “immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved”.
Mr Davie, appearing chairwoman Dame Elan Closs Stephens and coverage director Clare Sumner will seem earlier than the Lords Communications Committee on Tuesday to debate the corporation’s leadership following the furore.