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BBC reporter Gilligan is forced to make retractions

BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan departs from his house in south east London, Wednesday, ahead of his second appearance before the Hutton Inquiry. PHOTO: AP

The BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan was left isolated at the Hutton inquiry Wednesday when he was forced to retract key elements of his controversial Today radio programme report while the corporation's head of news denounced his journalistic standards.

In tough cross-examination lasting two and a half hours, Gilligan said he had made a "slip of the tongue" when he reported that Downing Street inserted a claim in the September dossier that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes, knowing it was wrong.

He also conceded it was a mistake, in one of his broadcasts, to describe the weapons expert David Kelly as an "intelligence service source." And he admitted failing to correct Today presenter John Humphrys for making the same error.

Richard Sambrook, the BBC's director of news, said Gilligan failed to appreciate the "nuances and subtleties" of broadcast journalism, casting his reports in "primary colours" rather than shades of grey.

Both admitted it was a serious error of judgment for Gilligan to email members of the foreign affairs committee, suggesting questions that they might ask of the government scientist David Kelly and effectively outing him as the source for reports by the BBC Newsnight journalist Susan Watts. Kelly's body was found three days after appearing before the FAC, apparently after taking his own life, leading to the setting up of Lord Hutton's inquiry.

Gilligan's appearance yesterday was his second: the investigation has moved into a more probing phase in which witnesses are cross- examined by lawyers acting for various parties.

Under questioning from Jonathan Sumption QC, for the government, Gilligan said of his email to a FAC member: "It was quite wrong to send it and I can only apologise. I did not even know for sure that David Kelly was Susan Watts' source. I was under an enormous amount of pressure at the time and I simply was not thinking straight, so I really do want to apologise for that."

Sambrook said later: "It was an improper email to have been sent. I do not think it would be right under any circumstances. I appreciate Gilligan felt himself to be under a great deal of pressure and may have made a misjudgment in those circumstances."

Gilligan admitted errors in his 6.07am broadcast on Today on May 29, when he quoted his source -- now known to be Kelly -- as accusing the government of publishing the 45-minute claim knowing it was false. "I regret that on this occasion, I did not report carefully and accurately what he said," Gilligan said.
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