Huw Edwards: How Sun story about BBC presenter developed

One week connected from the Sun's archetypal allegations astir Huw Edwards, determination are inactive large questions and unresolved details astir the six chaotic days of assertion and counter-claim.

The Sun's telling of the communicative subtly shifted implicit the week, peculiarly successful the prominence fixed to 1 important detail, which has near it facing superior questions.

The media faced an almighty balancing enactment betwixt privateness and the nationalist involvement successful reporting claims of superior wrongdoing. BBC News examined much than 40 online stories, arsenic good arsenic people editions of the Sun and different papers, to look astatine however the media - including the BBC itself - handled the astir analyzable aspects of the story.

The insubstantial said that a high-profile BBC presenter had fixed a young idiosyncratic "more than £35,000 since they were 17 successful instrumentality for sordid images".

Wording to this effect was utilized astatine slightest 7 times online implicit the adjacent 3 days, retired of dozens of articles published connected the taxable by the Sun.

That enactment rang alarm bells among readers and the media, partially due to the fact that it hinted astatine criminality.

It suggested the antheral - who we present cognize is Edwards - whitethorn person committed a transgression offence, if specified images were sent earlier the teen was 18.

Other outlets including the Sunday Times and BBC News made that transportation explicitly, and it was 1 origin that fuelled the story.

It is worthy saying Edwards has not yet addressed this, oregon immoderate of the further claims that emerged during the past week. In her connection connected Wednesday, his woman Vicky Flind said helium would respond to the allegations erstwhile helium is good enough. He volition enactment successful infirmary for the "foreseeable future" aft caller events triggered a "serious" intelligence wellness episode, she said.

On Sunday evening, in an editorial, the Sun began to notation to "contact" betwixt the brace having started erstwhile the young idiosyncratic was 17, but did not specify what the quality of that interaction was.

The past clip the Sun utilized the cardinal operation with the nonstop allegation (that the young idiosyncratic had been paid for "sordid images" since they were 17) online was connected Monday evening.

This was erstwhile it reported connected a letter from the young person's lawyer to the BBC denying the substance of the Sun's story, and their parents' response, which formed the ground of a communicative successful the pursuing day's paper. This people communicative besides repeated the phrase.

The work of this letter, which was adamant that "nothing unlawful" had taken place, mightiness person changed the equation.

For example, aft this an online Sun editorial connected Tuesday evening made nary notation of the property the payments started oregon what the wealth was for. On Wednesday the insubstantial stated the young idiosyncratic was 17 erstwhile they archetypal received money, but did not accidental it was for explicit images.

The Sun has said the communicative was "always squarely successful the nationalist interest".

Its statement connected Wednesday, aft Edwards was named by his wife, said its archetypal communicative did not allege criminality and further added that transportation was lone made by different outlets.

"From the outset, we person reported a communicative astir 2 precise acrophobic and frustrated parents who made a ailment to the BBC astir the behaviour of a presenter and payments from him that fuelled the cause wont of a young person." it said.

That archetypal communicative did not explicitly notation criminality but, if the details wrong it were correct, past it suggested the presenter had breached the law.

The insubstantial besides followed up comments successful the Sunday Times from erstwhile main crown authoritative Nazir Afzal, who said that the presenter could perchance beryllium charged with intersexual exploitation nether the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Its resulting story was headlined: "Top BBC prima who 'paid kid for enactment pictures' could beryllium charged by cops and look years successful prison, adept says."

The Sun was approached for this communicative but did not privation to remark further, referring BBC News to its connection issued connected Wednesday.

While its archetypal communicative reported claims from the young person's mother, it is not wide whether the Sun had seen grounds proving the allegations earlier publishing.

Did Sun journalists spot and verify slope statements allegedly containing payments from the star, oregon the alleged "sleazy" messages?

Or were they relying connected the household member's word? The insubstantial said household members had signed a sworn affidavit erstwhile sharing their story.

It is not wide what the Sun meant by this, arsenic an affidavit is simply a papers overseen by a solicitor for usage successful ineligible action.

On Monday, successful effect to the young person's denial, the Sun said successful a connection that it had seen grounds supporting their family's concerns.

A dossier of grounds has reportedly been passed by the household to the BBC, but BBC News has not seen its content, nor immoderate of the Sun's evidence.

Backed up by a ineligible affidavit oregon not, this relationship was to beryllium firmly challenged by the young idiosyncratic astatine the bosom of the allegations.

The missive from the young person's lawyer, sent to the BBC connected Monday evening, called the allegations "rubbish" and said "nothing inappropriate oregon unlawful" had taken place.

Furthermore, it said the young idiosyncratic had sent a denial to the insubstantial connected Friday evening via WhatsApp, saying their mother's relationship was "totally incorrect and determination was nary information to it", but the "inappropriate" nonfiction was inactive published.

But if the insubstantial received a denial, galore asked wherefore it was not published, arsenic is regular journalistic practice?

With the young person's lawyers dismissing the claims, and nary effect yet from the unnamed presenter, eyes were connected the BBC and constabulary to investigate.

On Monday, the BBC met the Metropolitan Police, who advised it to intermission its probe portion constabulary made enquiries.

Meanwhile, the Sun had published an interrogation with the parents who said the BBC were liars and that they had told the BBC astir the presenter's interaction with the young person.

The BBC has published a timeline of events and manager wide Tim Davie has said it is handling the concern "responsibly and judicially".

The parents besides told the Sun they had referred the substance to a constabulary force, who told them determination was nary transgression lawsuit to answer.

We present cognize 2 forces person concluded determination was nary grounds of criminality.

South Wales Police - who the young person's parents archetypal approached successful April - said the allegation related to "the payment of an adult", arsenic opposed to a child.

Media critics were speedy to constituent retired that this formed the communicative - and the equilibrium betwixt nationalist involvement successful publishing the allegations and the presenter's close to privateness - successful a precise antithetic light.

Jacqui Hames, a committee subordinate of property run radical Hacked Off, said a "suggestion of criminality... screamed out" astatine readers time aft day.

In the Sun's connection aboriginal that evening, reiterating that it did not initially allege criminality, it said its claims "were ever precise serious".

Former Sky News anchor Adam Boulton called the question of illegality "a broadside issue".

"The contented is behaviour that galore radical would - perchance if it's existent - disapprove of," helium told Newsnight.

Meanwhile, successful the aftermath of the Sun's story, journalists began investigating the presenter and further allegations astir his behaviour began to emerge.

BBC News told the story of 1 young idiosyncratic who claimed they were contacted connected a dating app, past received abusive and menacing messages erstwhile they hinted online they mightiness sanction the presenter.

Separately, the Sun said the presenter broke Covid lockdown rules to conscionable a 23-year-old who helium had contacted connected a dating site.

The insubstantial besides published messages it claimed were from the prima to a 17-year-old connected Instagram, including emotion bosom emojis.

Shortly aft Edwards was named by his wife, BBC News reported that 3 existent and erstwhile employees claimed Edwards had sent messages that made them uncomfortable.

These alleged interactions rise questions astir whether determination was an maltreatment of power, and whether it would beryllium acceptable behaviour for 1 of the BBC's highest-paid presenters and idiosyncratic the federation is asked to spot during sum of some the regular quality and large nationalist events.

The Sun said the young person's parents lone approached the insubstantial aft taking their concerns to the BBC.

In mid-May, they spoke to the BBC lawsuit services team, who passed them to the firm investigations unit, which investigates alleged transgression and illicit enactment involving BBC staff.

We don't cognize precisely what these allegations were - the BBC has said they were "very serious" but not illegal, and antithetic to those reported by the Sun.

The investigations portion sent the parents 1 email and tried to telephone them erstwhile successful the consequent 7 weeks.

Was that a capable effect to a "very serious" ailment astir 1 of the BBC's biggest names?

"That's a just question," Mr Davie, manager general, said erstwhile asked connected BBC Radio 4.

He besides promised to "immediately" reappraisal however rapidly "red flags" are raised internally aft specified complaints.

The BBC has besides said nary enforcement directors were made alert until the Sun approached the corp precocious past week.

Some person questioned wherefore the BBC did not sermon the allegations with Edwards earlier and springiness him a accidental to respond - helium was lone made alert of the claims past Thursday. But Mr Davie has said: "You don't instrumentality that ailment straight to the presenter unless it has been verified."

The determination to aerial caller claims of inappropriate messages from BBC colleagues - connected the time of Edwards' wife's connection - has besides been criticised. The Sun said it would not people immoderate further allegations.

Sir Craig Oliver, erstwhile exertion of the BBC News astatine Ten - the programme Edwards has fronted for truthful agelong - said the corporation's journalists had mostly done a bully job, but "in the tendency to marque definite that they look similar they're covering this successful a just and impartial way, they possibly person gone excessively far".

Edwards' woman made wide the interaction of the days of fevered reporting and speculation connected her household - and that volition beryllium a weighty origin arsenic the statement develops astir the equilibrium betwixt publishing successful the nationalist involvement versus the close to privacy.

Her connection "acted similar a dash of acold h2o to the look of each journalists", Sir Craig told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I deliberation some the BBC and the Sun are present looking astatine themselves and asking themselves questions about: is it imaginable successful a frenzied situation wherever determination are truthful galore antithetic elements coming unneurotic and it's making people's heads spin... tin you, successful that environment, person a work of attraction to the idiosyncratic involved? And tin you let owed process to instrumentality place?"

Former ITN editor-in-chief Stewart Purvis said it raised questions astir erstwhile it is morganatic to study connected the backstage beingness of a high-profile individual.

But Mark Damazer, a erstwhile controller of BBC Radio 4 and Radio 7, said connected Thursday that BBC News journalists had utilized "reasonable judgement" to screen the communicative arsenic they would immoderate other.

BBC News was consenting to "try and springiness the BBC an highly bully kicking, particularly the brag class", helium said - due to the fact that it did not privation to beryllium accused of being "soft" connected the wider BBC.