Explanation: Hugh Edwards and the UK media scandal

For twenty years, Hugh Edwards was the presenter of the BBC’s flagship News at Ten program – watched by millions every weeknight for the latest news of the day.

But he has now been identified as the presenter at the center of allegations about his behaviour, following five days of speculation and mounting allegations published in the British media, including by colleagues at BBC News.

As the BBC’s most senior news anchor, Edwards has been an integral part of some of the UK’s most historic national moments.

The 61-year-old was the man who informed millions of television viewers around the world that Queen Elizabeth II had died.

He led an extraordinary ten days of live mourning, culminating in the funeral of the late Queen. His voice has narrated royal weddings and the coronation of King Charles III. And announced the results of the general election.

In a statement on his behalf, Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind confirmed he was the host involved and said he was in hospital following a serious mental health episode.

He will respond to stories posted about him when he is well enough to do so, she said.

“We remind you that over the past few days private lives have played out in public,” BBC director-general Tim Davey wrote to staff. “At the heart of it are people and their families.

On Friday, the Sun newspaper published a story saying that an unidentified BBC presenter has been accused of paying a young man, now in his 20s, thousands of pounds over several years for candid photos.

In an interview, the young man’s mother expressed her dismay at the payments and her concern that they were funding her child’s cocaine habit.

In the following days, further claims were published by the Sun and then by BBC News, which independently reported on the BBC as if it were another organisation.

On Sunday, the BBC admitted it had received a complaint relating to the Sun’s original allegations seven weeks before they were pursued by the newspaper and that it had suspended a man from staff.

The next day, a lawyer for the youth involved said the Sun story was “rubbish” and denied anything criminal had happened.

It wasn’t long before new and different allegations relating to the presenter were made in reports by the Sun and BBC News.

They include claims of “threatening” messages to a man in his 20s, visiting another man during the coronavirus lockdown and inappropriate messages to a BBC employee.

The series of events unfolded within ten minutes on Wednesday after the Metropolitan Police said it had found no evidence of crime in its review of the evidence, and the BBC said an internal corporate investigation would continue as a result.

Hugh Edwards’ identity as the BBC presenter was then confirmed in a statement issued on his behalf by his wife.

Unlike the United States, the United Kingdom does not have broad First Amendment protections for free speech, and therefore most news reporting.

A combination of privacy and defamation laws govern how the UK media reports stories and identifies the subjects of allegations.

Following a major ruling by the UK High Court last year, the right to privacy includes people who are being investigated by a law enforcement agency – meaning the stage before they are formally charged with a crime and sent to court.

Edwards was never formally investigated by police.

Meanwhile, UK defamation law protects everyone’s reputation from the enormous damage caused by lies.

He was made famous in the UK by Johnny Depp in his lawsuit against a UK tabloid, which was forced to defend its description of him as a “wife beater”.

So the decision not to name Edwards for so long was based on the high legal risk of being sued under privacy or defamation laws — or even a combination of them.

The denial of the initial allegations by the youth involved further raised the bar in terms of naming the host.

This latest scandal follows several high-profile crises at the BBC.

He has faced major questions in recent years about how he handled false allegations against singer Sir Cliff Richard in 2018, what he knew about prolific pedophile Jimmy Savile at the BBC and even how he secured his controversial interview with Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1990s. those years.

Outside the UK, the BBC is largely funded by advertising. But in Britain it is paid for by a publicly funded license fee – a compulsory fee levied on every household with a TV.

It delivers television content to households, including news, live sports, dramas and current affairs shows. It is broadcast on dozens of local and national radio stations. It offers a streaming platform, news and sports websites, and even a weather app.

The BBC’s public funding model in the UK has rightly led to scrutiny of the BBC and those who work for it. It also raises criticism of the license fee, its results and the BBC’s dominant position in the UK media landscape.

Hugh Edwards will respond to stories published about him when he is able to do so, his wife said.

The BBC said the corporate investigation would continue after police ruled out foul play.

But questions remain for the BBC about what it knew about the allegations and when, and about its response to them.

The Sun newspaper said it would co-operate with the BBC and had no plans to publish any more allegations about Edwards.

“It remains a very complex set of circumstances,” BBC boss Mr Davey said.

With stories like this, BBC News journalists treat the BBC in the same way as any other organization the news service reports on.

And as with any other organisation, BBC News should seek a response from BBC management or BBC services and contact the BBC press office for official statements.

BBC journalists sometimes approach senior managers for unscheduled interviews – known as “thresholds” in the news business.

They are also sometimes offered interviews with management – such as the one with Mr Davey about the Gary Lineker scandal.

And when that happens, they know they will be scrutinized inside and outside the BBC for how well they hold their boss to account.