So poor old Huw Edwards has been revealed as the BBC presenter at the centre of a supposed sex scandal. It does not matter that the police have said there is no evidence he has committed any crime, he has been found guilty in the court of public opinion, and that is all it takes these days to ruin someone’s life and reputation.
I don’t particularly care what he does with his money, although I would find it strange if he did pay such large sums of money for naked photos. Does he not know with a quick Google he can get an endless stream of nude photos for free? There are thousands of Onlyfans more than willing to cater to a bewildering array of carnal desires. I suspect the upshot of this story is going to be the adage, ‘There’s no fool, like an old fool’.
The hypocrisy around it all is staggering. It was only 2015 when the Sun stopped publishing its page 3 when it was more than happy to have a daily spread of naked teenagers. Sam Fox posed topless for The Sun when she was just 16. Her pictures ran underneath the headline ‘Sam, 16, Quits A-Levels for Ooh-Levels’. Charming.
But for me, the most tiresome thing about the whole affair is when the BBC goes into self-flagellation mode. This story has been the main headline of BBC News for the past week. Nearly every BBC news and phone in show covers it to an excessive degree. The BBC loves beating itself up; it would make an Opus Dei blush.
The Today programme this morning is dominated by the Huw Edwards story: 3 segments in past 45 mins. This man is hospitalised with severe acute mental health issues. His family will be under immense pressure. The BBC is conducting an inquiry. Media: just leave this story alone.
— richard horton (@richardhorton1) July 13, 2023
I find the BBC’s self-obsession with itself naval gazing in the extreme. With all the problems we have in society, to focus all its immense news resources on this sh*te is shameful. You do wonder if it is an attempt to distract us from the real news.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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