BBC role under Hutton spotlight

BBC news chief Richard Sambrook

The role of BBC reporters and executives has been in the spotlight at the Hutton inquiry into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

The corporation's director of news Richard Sambrook defended its reports on the government's Iraq dossier during the third day of the inquiry.

But journalist Susan Watts, science editor of BBC2's Newsnight, said she felt she was put under pressure by senior BBC management over her reports on the dossier and had taken independent legal advice.

HUTTON INQUIRY Set up after apparent suicide of Dr David Kelly in July Dr Kelly was government expert in Iraq weapons programmes He was named as source of controversial BBC report Report alleged government had 'sexed up' a dossier on Iraq's weapons capability Government denies the allegations Inquiry hears Kelly tape Key points: Day three

The role of government communication director Alastair Campbell has also been high on the agenda.

Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide after being named as the main source for the BBC Radio 4 Today programme report claiming Downing Street exaggerated Iraq's weapons capability to make the case for war.

The inquiry has heard evidence from Ms Watts, Mr Sambrook and BBC special correspondent Gavin Hewitt.

It also heard a tape of a 17-minute conversation between Ms Watts and Dr Kelly the day after Mr Gilligan's report on the Iraq dossier on the Today programme.

'Spin'

In the conversation, Dr Kelly referred to concern in the intelligence community about aspects of the dossier and suggested that the Downing Street press office had a role in the use in the dossier of a claim that Iraq could deploy weapons in 45 minutes.

(I am) more convinced than ever that Alastair Campbell is on the run, or gone bonkers, or both E-mail from Today editor Kevin Marsh Today editor's e-mails in full Q&A: Good day for BBC?

Dr Kelly says: "I think Alastair Campbell is synonymous with that press office because he is responsible for it."

Mr Hewitt told the inquiry that Dr Kelly had told him that "some spin had come into play" over the dossier and that there was "unease" among the intelligence community about the document.

But Ms Watts told the inquiry she believed Dr Kelly was "specifically denying" that Mr Campbell played a role in the use of the 45-minutes claim.

Mr Campbell has vigorously denied the claim reported by BBC correspondent Mr Gilligan that he ordered the "sexing up" of the dossier shortly before publication.

'Mould'

Ms Watts said she had felt pressured to reveal the source of her reports on Newsnight to BBC chiefs and had sought independent legal advice.

She said she felt there was an attempt to "mould" her reports with those of Mr Gilligan's by BBC chiefs.

She said she "felt the purpose of that was to help corroborate the Andrew Gilligan allegations and not for any proper news purpose".

But Mr Sambrook said that was "not the case at all".

He said: "There were similarities in the reports and "it would have been irresponsible of me not to try and find out if this was the same source and, if so, what had been said."

Mr Sambrook defended Mr Gilligan's reports, saying they had gone through the "proper editorial process".

But he admitted that in responding to complaints from Mr Campbell he was incorrect in referring to the source of the report as being from the intelligence services.

Attack

But he said he was "satisfied that it is a senior, credible and reliable source".

The BBC news chief said he was surprised by Mr Campbell's attack on the corporation when he gave evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

"We certainly had not anticipated anything on this scale. He had broadened this out to an attack on all the BBC's general editorial values," he said.

The inquiry went through letters of complaint from Mr Campbell to the BBC.

Extract from conversation between Susan Watts and Dr Kelly Susan Watts: OK, just back momentarily on the 45 minute issue I'm feeling like I ought to just explore that a little bit more with you... so would it be accurate then, as you did in that earlier conversation, to say that it was Alastair Campbell himself who... Dr Kelly: No I can't. All I can say is the Number 10 press office. I've never met Alastair Campbell so I can't (SW interrupts "they seized on that?") But I think Alastair Campbell is synonymous with that press office because he's responsible for it. Kelly tape: Full transcript

Mr Campbell had complained that Mr Gilligan was "ignorant" of intelligence issues and was guilty of "irresponsible reporting".

The inquiry was also shown an email from Kevin Marsh, Mr Gilligan's editor at the Today programme, to the head of BBC Radio News Stephen Mitchell about that complaint.

Mr Marsh said he was "more convinced than ever that Alastair Campbell is on the run, or gone bonkers, or both".

The inquiry heard that Mr Sambrook's notes of a meeting with Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon revealed Mr Hoon's view that Mr Gilligan was "essentially a tabloid journalist".

Mr Sambrook said: "I said that Andrew Gilligan was a particular sort of journalist, that he discovers stories that cause the government discomfort sometimes, controversial stories but in my view good ones."

Asked about Dr Kelly's evidence to MPs on the affair, Mr Sambrook said he was "obviously very uncomfortable but he was being deliberately evasive and sometimes vague, failing to recollect whether he had said something or not".

He added: "My impression of it was a degree of evasiveness, designed not to implicate himself as the source of the reports."