Shelagh Fogarty's take on if Princess Diana's BBC interview should be aired again
21 May 2021, 16:48
Shelagh Fogarty's take on if Diana interview should be aired again
This is Shelagh Fogarty reaction to LBC listeners' messages on whether the BBC should keep Martin Bashir's BBC interview with Princess Diana.
Shelagh's words have come after police said they will "assess" the contents of a report on the BBC's 1995 Panorama interview with Princess Diana.
An independent review has found journalist Martin Bashir used fabricated bank statements to "deceive" Princess Diana's brother in an attempt to secure the interview with her.
Shelagh first responded to a message from a listener who said "the interview should be kept but only with a warning done by [Prince] Harry and [Prince] William explaining how it was only made possible through lies made by the interviewer, so everyone watching is fully aware of that fact".
James O'Brien reacts to Martin Bashir's past conduct
She said: "Personally I wouldn't go that far as to give them the right to top the interview. But...you can do that just journalistically.
"It doesn't need to be approved by the Royals to do it, in my view. I don't think that's free journalism if you insist on that kind of thing."
Shelagh then responded to a call from a listener who said "[Prince] William is right to say the interview should never be played again, simply because it's conducted by [Martin] Bashir".
'The Bashir story is an argument for Leveson 2.'
She replied: "Again, you're focussing on the man's voice in this, not Diana's voice. This is the thing that drives me crazy about this."
Shelagh went to on to say that Princess Diana "had agency" when she made the decision to sit down for an interview with Martin Bashir.
READ MORE: 'Don't throw baby out with the bathwater' over BBC, caller tells James O'Brien
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