McAlpine, Newsnight and All That ...

[teamsaint]

NO!! I'm saying that the vast majority of the Newsnight AUDIENCE had no idea who was being 'implicated', and judging by statements made, I wonder if the Newsnight / Bureau team actually did not know? How did they go from 'an unnamed' possible candidate to a NAME within minutes, who knew, OR did they actually NOT know the name and somebody else told them once the prog had gone out? i.e. names then appeared on twitter etc AFTER the Newsnight prog. Or did anyone at the BBC know of the names before the prog went out? If they did know, and did not check with Mr Meesham, and get definite identification then, yes, heads should roll.
I am very uncertain of the exact chain of events / timeline here. I#d say that there is a hell of a lot that 'people' knew / know that we don't.

Oh yes, this is a key point..all the way up, inside the BBC and elsewhere. Seriously, members of the royal family were close to saville, for instance. Do they not have very good advisors? odd.

[kernelbogey]

I am very uncertain of the exact chain of events / timeline here. I#d say that there is a hell of a lot that 'people' knew / know that we don't.

Draco, if you read some of the background stories, e.g yesterday's Guardian, you'll see that the McAlpine name has been known in journalistic circles for some 15 years, I think. The issue is about which McAlpine.

[Frances_iom]

George Entwistle has just resigned as DG.

Edit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...ht-fiasco.html

well at least they still have the also rans on file - maybe our ex-Pepsi-marketing guy would fit - a bland, 'popular' + junk product would fit all requirements of politicians for the BBC.

ETA - and they have just given him the job!
my own estimate that the BBC will be dead within the decade now looks more than optimistic - let us welcome our American-like Faux news ghettos - the BBC is effectively committing suicide

[scottycelt]

[/B]

Oh yes, this is a key point..all the way up, inside the BBC and elsewhere. Seriously, members of the royal family were close to saville, for instance. Do they not have very good advisors? odd.

If we have to go down this road quite a lot of 'commoners' (and even professed republican 'socialists') must have had a much better knowledge of Savile ...

[Flosshilde]

Did the Pope ever meet him?

[teamsaint]

If we have to go down this road quite a lot of 'commoners' (and even professed republican 'socialists') must have had a much better knowledge of Savile ...

Well, had good knowledge, and many of them should have done something. My point was that if you have a high powered team of advisors, you don't have much excuse for staying close to somebody that dodgy....they must have known about him and his personality.....

[ahinton]

Well, Entwistle has now gone, doubtless under no small pressure from Patten whose own position within BBC Trust must surely now be in at least some doubt, as indeed may be that of the Trust itself; if this "alternative witch hunt" continues to burgeon as indeed it might, then the future of BBC as a whole may well be in an inescapable firing line which will be especially ironical just as it is poised to try to celebrate its 90th anniversary.

[kernelbogey]

And now Tim Davie is to be acting DG: an editor in chief with no experience of journalism....

[DracoM]

Pepsi salesman. Who offed 6 Music - later rescinded????? Judgement?

So at last capitalist entrepreneurs in the BBC and as Ardship of Cambry? Hmm.
The Govt'll run rings round Davie.

[Petrushka]

The BBC will survive the furore, and so should Newsnight.

Newnight is tainted and must go. The BBC is in a terrible spiral of decline and will be lucky to last a few more years. Break up cannot be far away.

[ahinton]

Newnight is tainted and must go. The BBC is in a terrible spiral of decline and will be lucky to last a few more years. Break up cannot be far away.

A few more weeks wouldn't go amiss - and I'm sadly less confident of "break up" than of breakdown, frankly...

[french frank]

Pepsi salesman. Who offed 6 Music - later rescinded????? Judgement?

So at last capitalist entrepreneurs in the BBC and as Ardship of Cambry? Hmm.
The Govt'll run rings round Davie.

Let's hope that means he won't finally end up as D-G. That's Patten's second big misjudgement then. Why doesn't he go?

Davie's record as a safe pair of hands in a crisis? The Radio 2 Sachsgate affair - disaster.

[ahinton]

Let's hope that means he won't finally end up as D-G. That's Patten's second big misjudgement then. Why doesn't he go?

Davie's record as a safe pair of hands in a crisis? The Radio 2 Sachsgate affair - disaster.

Might it not already be rather too late to matter one way or the other?

[french frank]

Might it not already be rather too late to matter one way or the other?

I'm not sure what "too late" means: they're not likely to close the BBC down .......................


Of the other DG candidates, Thomson (C) has left the Beeb and Boaden is up to her neck in both Newsnight fiascos. Given that Entwistle moved Davie out of broadcasting as soon as he took over as D-G, that was a pretty low trick to give him Entwistle's job.

[Petrushka]

The Radio 2 Sachsgate affair.

Was this the point when the decline became apparent to a wider public?