Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales" in English language version.
The conclusions, though not unexpected, are a black eye for the BBC at a time when it has been under pressure from the Conservative government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson for its news coverage. The government has threatened to overhaul the compulsory license fee that finances most of the BBC's operations, and it faces competition from a fledgling news channel, GB News.
Defenders of the BBC have warned the crisis could be exploited by those opposed to the corporation.
The malice of many on the Conservative right is only too obvious. Editorial integrity is not their main concern. What they really want is to increase control over the BBC, direct its policy and personnel and influence its reporting. Leading Tories and their commercially self-interested Fleet Street cheerleaders have long claimed, absurdly, that BBC journalism is run by a leftwing cabal. They cannot abide what they perceive as anti-Brexit, unpatriotic stances. Now, in a sick reprise of the past, they seek to use Diana and her sons, coupled with Dyson's findings, as a club to batter down the doors of honest, independent reporting damaged by Bashir.
Spencer is understood to have told Davie that he has records of all his meetings and conversations with Bashir. These are alleged to show that Bashir told Diana fantastical stories to win her trust and that he used the fake bank statements to garner his first meeting with her.(subscription required)
The former judge found that Bashir carried out a sophisticated ruse and lied to his bosses about it, and that the BBC, having been alerted to his behavior, mostly papered over it and sought to evade scrutiny on the topic.
