Brouhaha at BBC over Precious Brit Secrecy Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit [BBC vs. 10 Downing Street in a media flap over the super-secret itinerary of their precious PM. The high anxiety may have been more due to the fact that the Saudis disinvited His Nibs during his latest mid-east round of diplo-extortion, and they didn't want that news to get out. But it did. As all these superpower thugs are realizing to their great unhappiness, the Internet has been privatized; it's no longer the preserve of the War Department, and foreign satellite news lives, and people will see Osama Productions regardless of the lapdog US media, and shortwave radio cannot be turned off, no matter what they try to do to it, and hey limeys, you can't fight the limelight.] The Guardian - Oct 11, 2001 http://www.guardian.co.uk Correspondent threatens to sue as she is blamed for gaffe over PM's itinerary Matt Wells and Patrick Wintour Guardian Thursday October 11, 2001 Kate Adie plans to sue Downing Street over claims that she risked the prime minister's life by discussing details of his visit to the Middle East, as the BBC's head of news deepened the controversy by revealing further details of the trip. Adie, the BBC's chief news correspondent, found herself in the middle of a political storm after being asked live on TV about Mr Blair's visit to Oman. For security reasons the details were meant to have been kept secret until his arrival. Tom Kelly, a Downing Street press officer, told journalists that No 10 had complained about Adie to the BBC. But the blame lay with London-based editors. Adie attacked Mr Kelly in a statement from Oman yesterday. But the BBC's position was weakened when, in an interview on Radio 4's Today programme, the director of news, Richard Sambrook, indicated the country that Mr Blair planned to visit next. Earlier Mr Sambrook had told BBC's Radio 5 Live that there were "no courts martial" at the corporation and "no one has had their epaulettes ripped off". He then told John Humphrys on the Today programme an hour later that the mistake was down to BBC editors and said it would not happen again - only to discuss further details of the prime minister's tour seconds later, citing two British embassies that had been "briefing openly about other visits Tony Blair plans to make". Mr Blair's next stop today was the subject of an embargo until last night, and Mr Sambrook should not have mentioned it. The BBC tried to play down the gaffe. "We have agreed with Downing Street that this matter is now closed and both sides are keen to move on," a spokesman said. Meanwhile, Adie was furious that she had been blamed. In a statement from Oman, where she is covering the conflict, she said: "I repudiate the allegation that I was responsible for endangering the prime minister's security. "Apart from the inaccuracy of this allegation, Tom Kelly drew attention to the prime minister's travel plans and exacerbated the situation. "He repeated and confirmed officially the BBC's report. He pointed out the error to those who hadn't noticed it. He encouraged the broadcasting and publishing of the self-same apparently security-sensitive information." Adie will decide whether to sue Mr Kelly upon her return and is also considering a case against the Sun, which ran the story on its front page yesterday under the headline: "Sack Kate Adie". There is speculation that Downing Street promoted the story to bury the row over the Stephen Byers' adviser Jo Moore, who suggested shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre that September 11 was a "very good day" to release sensitive announcements. It is thought that the Sun had been planning to lead its paper on the Moore row until the Adie story emerged. The BBC said Adie was not to blame: details of the Oman visit were first raised in the headlines on BBC1's Breakfast programme, and in the introduction to her interview. When asked about the visit by the presenter, Jeremy Bowen, she tried to dodge the issue and moved on. Mr Sambrook said she would not be sacked. "It wasn't Kate's fault, it wasn't the presenter's fault. "There was a problem in the team, where part of the team should have been aware that they couldn't say that and they weren't. "We've looked into that, tried to tighten things up to make sure it doesn't happen again and apologised to Downing Street for it, but of anybody involved in it Kate is the last person who should take the blame." On the Record, the Sunday BBC1 political show fronted by John Humphrys, is to be replaced by a new hour-length show, The War Report, from this weekend. The show, also fronted by Humphrys, will combine interviews with analysis of the terrorism crisis. Careless talk? October 3 The Sun reveals details of Blair's visit to Pakistan with the headline "Brave PM flies into Pakistan war zone" after the news emerged from Islamabad. It is also mentioned on the Daily Telegraph's front page. Later No 10's communications director, Alastair Campbell, asks editors not to divulge the PM's movements in advance without Downing Street agreement for security reasons. But the Pakistan trip is mentioned on Channel 4 News and also runs on BBC1 and ITV1 bulletins at 10pm. October 9 Jeremy Bowen, the former Middle East correspondent turned breakfast presenter, tells viewers of BBC1 and BBC News 24 that the prime minister is heading for Oman. Turning to Kate Adie, live from the Gulf, he asks about the visit, the details of which are meant to be under wraps. Surprised, Adie directs the conversation away. Downing Street names Adie in its morning press briefing and sends a written complaint to the BBC director general, Greg Dyke. Despite BBC protests that Adie was not to blame, the involvement of a star reporter in the gaffe - blamed on Breakfast producers - is too good a story to miss. October 10 Speculation mounts that the row is being stirred by No 10 in an attempt to stifle the controversy over government special adviser Jo Moore, who suggested that negative government stories could be smuggled out on the day of the US atrocity on September 11. The Sun runs a "Sack Kate Adie" story on page one and relegates Moore to page two. Adie considers suing Downing Street. Richard Sambrook, director of BBC News, tells Radio 5 Live that there were "no courts martial" at the BBC and "no one has had their epaulettes ripped off" - then an hour later on Radio 4 reveals the location of Mr Blair's next stop-off, still embargoed. Yesterday the Press Association reports the PM let slip that one of his sons is considering a career in the forces while visiting troops in Oman. This appears in the London Evening Standard and numerous websites. No 10 then asks PA to transmit a request that the remarks are not published, saying "it would not be particularly helpful for it to be repeated widely at the current time". * Yesterday's Episodes: BBC - Wednesday, 10 October, 2001 http://www.bbc.co.uk Adie Attacks Downing Street The BBC's chief news correspondent Kate Adie has criticised Downing Street for claims she threatened the security of Prime Minister Tony Blair. Her comments, in a statement, come after the prime minister's travel plans were revealed by the BBC despite a request from Number 10 for a news blackout on the details. The controversy centred on a live interview involving the experienced reporter responding to questions from Jeremy Bowen, presenter of the BBC's Breakfast programme. After the broadcast Downing Street made a formal complaint to Director General Greg Dyke that the information represented a security breach. Security sensitive The BBC's head of news Richard Sambrook has defended both journalists, saying it was a "hiccup". Adie denied putting Mr Blair's security at risk and accused Mr Blair's official spokesman, Tom Kelly, of "exacerbating the situation" by "encouraging" journalists to publish the security-sensitive information. 'Responded neutrally' Adie said: "I responded neutrally to a question, live on air, which already contained the information. "I did not discuss at any time specific travel arrangements or plans for the prime minister. "I repudiate the allegation that I was responsible for endangering the prime minister's security." The prime minister's director of communications Alastair Campbell wrote to editors of news organisations last week, asking that they give no advance coverage of which countries the prime minister planned to visit, for security reasons. A Downing Street spokesman, speaking ahead of the BBC apology, said: "We are making a formal complaint at the highest level to the BBC because repeated representations at a lower level have been unsuccessful." Kate Adie is in Oman where she is reporting on the prime minister's visit to troops there. A BBC spokesman said the decision to issue the statement was "a personal one by Kate and not involving the BBC." Responding to Ms Adie's comments, a Downing Street spokesman said: "Her comments were not accurate, as anybody who reads the lobby note from yesterday would see." * BBC - Wednesday, 10 October, 2001 BBC defends Adie The BBC's head of news has defended chief news correspondent Kate Adie amid calls for her sacking after details of the prime minister's travel plans were revealed in an early morning news programme. The Sun newspaper carried a front page on Wednesday claiming the BBC was under pressure to "Sack Kate Adie". The BBC has already apologised after details of the prime minister's movements were revealed on air despite a request from Number 10 for a news blackout. The details emerged in an live interview involving Kate Adie and Jeremy Bowen, presenter of the BBC's Breakfast programme. In a statement Kate Adie said she had "responded neutrally to a question, live on air, which already contained the information." After the broadcast Downing Street made a formal complaint to Director General Greg Dyke that the information represented a security breach. A spokesman for the BBC said it had already taken the initiative and apologised after the programme. He said a letter was sent to Downing Street from the deputy director of news Mark Damazer prior to a complaint being received. Richard Sambrook, BBC head of news, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday: "We are not going to sack Kate. There was a slip up on yesterday's Breakfast programme... it was not Kate Adie's fault, it was not the presenter's fault. 'Hiccup' "We will look into it in order to make sure the same mistake does not happen again. "Kate is the last person who should take the blame." Mr Sambrook has sought to smooth over the incident, which he has called "a hiccup, no more than that". And on Wednesday's Breakfast programme, presenter Jeremy Bowen said: "It is not Kate Adie's fault, we asked the question." The prime minister's director of communications Alastair Campbell wrote to editors of news organisations last week, asking that they give no advance coverage of which countries the prime minister planned to visit, for security reasons. A Downing Street spokesman, speaking ahead of the BBC apology, said: "We are making a formal complaint at the highest level to the BBC because repeated representations at a lower level have been unsuccessful. Abroad "We do not want this to become a major issue between us and the media, because frankly there are more important issues at the moment than having a row with the media." Mr Sambrook told the Today programme that briefings given overseas were often more detailed and given without any news blackout. "We are obviously open to reasonable measures to try to protect security around the prime minister," he said, but added that the BBC also had a responsibility to report "all aspects" of the current conflict. Kate Adie is still in Oman where she is reporting on the prime minister's visit to troops there. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-10.11.01-20:02:46-18026