Weekly news about technology; BBC scandal

The Guardian: McAlpine's solicitor warns long list of Twitter users to 'apologise or be sued'

Andrew Reid, McAlpine’s solicitor, threatens tough action on those who defamed his client on social media and elsewhere

McAlpine's solicitor, Andrew Reid, said on Thursday that if those on the list failed to come forward to apologise he would have no choice but to sue. Some people, including Guardian columnist George Monbiot, have already apologised.

In an interview on Radio 4's The World At One Reid singled out This Morning presenter Philip Schofield who, live on air last week, handed David Cameron a list featuring several Conservative politicians linked to allegations of child sex abuse, which he had compiled after a three minute internet search.

Reid also mentioned Bercow, who had tweeted, "Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *Innocent face*" – a reference to the fact the peer's name was being repeatedly mentioned on Twitter. Reid said he and McAlpine were determined to take tough action after the Tory peer's name circulated on the internet in relation to the 2 November Newsnight broadcast, which wrongly claimed a senior Conservative politician had been involved in child abuse in a Welsh care home.

The botched Newsnight story has already cost George Entwistle his job as director general, and McAlpine is preparing to sue anyone who linked his name to the broadcast and damaged his good name.

"The next person on our list is in fact the This Morning programme, run by ITV, where Phillip Schofield managed to embarrass the prime minister and then destroy my client's reputation," Reid said. "What Schofield did really was very, very low and I am amazed it was allowed, absolutely amazed. It sent everyone on the internet, those that couldn't read what was there [on Schofield's list] naturally would have been made more keen to see who was referred to, and I think at the top of the list was Lord McAlpine," he added.

Reid said those in the list would receive a 13 to 14 page letter formally notifying them of legal action, with 48 hours to respond.

Reid described the rumour and innuendo that swirled around the internet before and after the Newsnight broadcast as "so vile, so disgusting", and said there would be no escape for those who later deleted their tweets.

He added that McAlpine's legal team had been watching people who had been taking down tweets but said that they did not understand that "we already have all the information" and noted how their tweets have rippled around the world.

The Telegraph: Lord McAlpine tells Twitter users he does not intend to 'create hardship' as he pursues them for damages

Lord McAlpine has told Twitter users he does not intend to “create any hardship” as his lawyers contact all those who tweeted his name following a Newsnight report which made false claims about child abuse.

Anyone who has apologised to Lord McAlpine via his law firm, RMPI, will be sent a letter asking for personal details before the peer decides how much they must donate to charity in lieu of damages.

The letter is only being sent to those with fewer than 500 followers on the micro-blogging site, who may be asked to donate as little as £5 to the BBC’s Children in Need charity.

The letter, which is accompanied by a form asking for the home address, occupation and Twitter details of the addressee, says: “Once we have analysed the information we will let you know how much we shall be asking you to donate to…Children in Need.

The BBC paid Lord McAlpine £185,000 plus costs after the source of the Newsnight allegation, former care home resident Steve Messham, withdrew his claims of being raped by a senior Tory, saying it had been a case of mistaken identity.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/9694209/Lord-McAlpine-tells-Twitter-users-he-does-not-intend-to-create-hardship-as-he-pursues-them-for-damages.html

The Sun: BLUNDERING BBC Director General George Entwistle sensationally resigned last night over the Newsnight sex abuse fiasco.

Entwistle, boss for 54 days, said quitting was “the honourable thing”. He admitted being in the dark over a paedophile slur on a Tory peer

Entwistle had been ridiculed after admitting he only knew of a Newsnight report wrongly implicating former Tory treasurer Lord McAlpine as a child abuser the day AFTER it was broadcast.

Entwistle, 50, made his dramatic resignation statement outside Broadcasting House in London.

With BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten at his side, he said: “I have decided that the honourable thing to do is step down.

Entwistle — already reeling from a mauling by MPs over the Jimmy Savile “cover-up” scandal — was toppled by Newsnight’s Lord McAlpine fiasco. The Director General said he was not alerted to “trailers” on Twitter promising a report on the BBC2 show about a senior Tory from the Thatcher era. And he revealed he was unaware of newspaper coverage casting doubt on the accusations.

The BBC apologised on Friday night after Steve Messham, a victim quizzed by Newsnight, admitted he wrongly identified Lord McAlpine as the man who abused him at a Wrexham children’s home in the 1970s.

Newsnight did not name Lord McAlpine but he said he will sue the BBC because it led to him being identified on the internet.

Broadcasting and political heavyweights had earlier laid into Entwistle, saying he had to go. It comes just weeks after controversy surrounding the axing in 2011 of a Newsnight investigation on paedophile Savile’s abuse. There were claims of a cover-up.
Despite having once edited Newsnight, he was entirely at sea. Entwistle’s job was to look after the BBC in troubled times. He was never up to it. But the corporation is still saddled with its useless chairman Lord Patten who also seems to be away with the fairies. If the BBC has any hope of salvation, he needs to go — fast. A clean sweep is the only way to get this lot out of the mire.

Summary:

A summary of the whole situation is that the BBC's diroctor general George Entwistle had admitted that the Newsnight reports that were implicating that Lord McAlpine is a child abuser were false claims a day after that it had been broadcasted on the BBC’s Newsnight. This then caused McAlpine to become a trending topic Twitter which caused the public to actually believe that he is a paedophile. This subject became a trending topic due to the fact that people such as Philip Schofeild, ‘This morning’ presenter tweeted about this embarrassing situation which was actually false. This then lead to McAlpine’s solicitor sending out a letter to everyone that had accused McAlpaine of being a child abuser to either apologise or be prepared to be sued. Also causing Entwistle the director general to make a dramatic resignation statement.

All three articals show the same understanding of the situations, and all three agree that this situation is embarrassing and the BBC should take the situation seriously and all think that its best that if they want the corporation to have a clean slate that the director should go as he lost alot of trust.

My opinion

                                                                                                        

Personally I think that McAlpine has every right to make big deal about these false allegations that have occurred. I believe this because of the fact that he has to live with the legacy of people having doubts and suspicions of him being a child abuser forever, simply because of these false assumptions. This could have undoubtedly affected his life dramatically with his family and friends and could have even caused abuse from the members of public simply just because of the BBC not taking these allegations seriously enough. I think that the general director, George Enwistle made the right decision of resigning as he lost a lot of trust from the public due to the number of scandals that had occurred over the years.However, with the situation about the people who had tweeted about it, they should apologize to McAlpine but no legal action should be taken as everyone is entitled to freedom of speech.