Suffering from the fallout at the Beeb, journalist Andrew Gilligan tries to explain that reporters should not be held to the same "standard of perfection" that they hold for heads of state. In a bout of 'rules for you but not for me' syndrome, Gilligan claims:

"There has to be a latitude -- a margin for error. It is important to have in mind that in the context of political reporting, it can be right to report matters, even if it later turns out that they are untrue."

Andrew Gilligan's report that Prime Minister Tony Blair "sexed up" intelligence on Iraq has resulted in the resignation of several of the Beeb's top brass. Gavyn Davies and Greg Dyke both left the BBC in disgrace, after an independent British investigator criticized Gilligan's report as completely unfounded. The source for the BBC's report, Dr. David Kelly, committed suicide last year.

Category:  Blaming the Media
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