Monday, September 05, 2005
Where We Differ
From the Beeb
BBC chairman Michael Grade has ordered a report into claims that Today presenter John Humphrys mocked politicians in an after-dinner speech.Implying that a Congressperson was a liar would be business as usual for our press. Maybe there are some things they do better over there?
The Times newspaper said the Radio 4 broadcaster made remarks about Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and John Prescott in the speech, which was given in June.
A BBC spokesman said Grade had asked director general Mark Thompson for a full report on the claim.
But Humphrys denied being insulting, calling it a "light-hearted" speech.
He is said to have implied all MPs were liars, and claimed former BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan was right in his controversial report that claimed the government "sexed-up" intelligence on Iraq's weapons capabilities to aid the case for war.
