More blood on their hands
: The Guardian reports that the BBC could have prevented the outing of Kelly as its source but refused:
BBC bosses blocked a compromise which might have prevented the suicide of David Kelly, the weapons expert confirmed by the corporation yesterday as its source for the story of the “sexed-up’ dossier.
The Guardian can reveal that the BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, and the director general, Greg Dyke, were made an offer in the days before Dr Kelly was identified, but turned it down because they were determined to give no ground in their battle with Alastair Campbell, director of communications at No 10.
So, once again, blame the Beeb, not Blair.
And, by the way, it was the BBC that was morally bound not to reveal its source, Kelly. The government had no such obligation; he wasn’t their source and, in fact, he was violating rules talking to the press. That’s the risk you take. And the release of his name by the government is an issue only because he committed suicide; that is something they could not be expected to have predicted. Kelly was a grown-up; he chose to talk to Gilligan.
