The BBC covered up the tactics journalist Martin Bashir used to secure his famous 1995 interview with Princess Diana, an inquiry has found, the BBC reports.
A report about how the interview was secured has been published.
Lord Dyson, the retired judge who led the inquiry, said the BBC “fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark”.
The BBC said the report showed “clear failings” and: “We are very sorry for this.”
The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, said: “Although the report states that Diana, Princess of Wales, was keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect. We are very sorry for this. Lord Dyson has identified clear failings.
“While today’s BBC has significantly better processes and procedures, those that existed at the time should have prevented the interview being secured in this way.
“The BBC should have made greater effort to get to the bottom of what happened at the time and been more transparent about what it knew.
“While the BBC cannot turn back the clock after a quarter of a century, we can make a full and unconditional apology. The BBC offers that today.”
