‘BBC fuelled Diana’s paranoia’ and vaccine success
The Daily Mail leads, like many others, with Thursday’s publication of a report into how the former Panorama journalist Martin Bashir obtained his interview with Princess Diana in 1995. The paper reports that an independent inquiry, led by retired judge Lord Dyson, found the BBC had fallen short of its “high standards of integrity and transparency” and that Mr Bashir had acted in a “deceitful” way and faked documents to obtain the 1995 interview. The Mail’s headline “BBC lies ruined my mother’s life” comes from a damning video statement issued by Prince William in response.
It’s a near-identical headline in the Express which leads on “William’s fury” in the video statement released late on Thursday evening in which he accused BBC bosses of a “cover-up” and spoke of his “indescribable sadness”.
“The BBC let down my mum, my family and Britain,” quotes The Scottish Sun as it splashes on Prince William’s comments. The paper describes the Duke of Cambridge’s reply as a “blistering attack” on Martin Bashir’s interview.
A picture of the Duke from his broadcast also makes the cover of The Times. The paper reports that he condemned the corporation for its “lies” in securing the interview with his mother, which “stoked her paranoia” and played a part in the breakdown of her relationship with his father, Prince Charles.
The Daily Telegraph also pulls out the reference to Princess Diana’s paranoia and reports the two princes’ view that BBC bosses failed their mother by “covering up” Martin Bashir’s deceit following the interview.
The Daily Star of Scotland gives a dose of its unique humour in its take on the story, featuring a picture of Prince William getting his first Covid jab earlier in the day.
The Metro chooses good news for its front page, with the headline “jabs take the strain” as it reports that every existing Covid vaccine works against every known variant of the virus – including the Indian strain. The World Health Organisation confirmation boost hopes for foreign holiday sand an end to lockdown restrictions, according to the paper.
The Daily Record claims a serving police officer has been fined after he was caught partying with Rangers fans at the lockdown-breaching George Square mass gathering.
The scale of deaths in individual care homes across Scotland was unlawfully kept secret by an arm of the Scottish government for almost eight months in a decision that was criticised for a “lack of transparency”, reveals the Scotsman. The paper says the National Records of Scotland (NRS) breached freedom of information legislation by refusing to release the number of confirmed and suspected Covid-19 related deaths in each of Scotland’s care homes.
Scotland’s colleges have a £54m black hole in finances which has widened by £23m in two years, claims the Herald. The paper says the public services auditor warned of “long term implications” for their financial sustainability.
Boris Johnson’s “Great British Railway” plan sparks fury on the front of The National as it reveals that despite the name, GBR will primarily operate in England, where it will set timetables and prices and sell tickets. In the report, Westminster is accused of not respecting devolution.
The P&J leads with a devastating crash which ended two police officers’ careers. The head-on collision near Cruden Bay ended in the two officers having to be cut from their cars.
The Evening Telegraph leads with a court case featuring two women who became involved in a “frenzied stabbing attack” over £20.
A ransom scheme in a north east prison is the top story in the Evening Express.
The location for the new Dundee Eden Project has been revealed in The Courier. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described the proposals for the old gas works in East Dock Street as “stunning”.
