A Spectator's Notebook
NOW THAT many national news- papers have a stake in commercial television, the BBC is likely to come in for some unfair criticism. But though it may be unedifying to see newspapers criticising the BBC for doing what they do themselves, the BBC put itself badly in the wrong by televising the interview of Mr. Colin Warren, the uncle of the murdered boy and the man to whom the police were paying considerable and well-publi- cised attention. If television were able to absolve itself from blame by pointing to the newspapers' example, the press would soon be doing the same by pointing to that of television, and a competi- tion in degradation would have begun. The very fact that so many newspapers sensationalise crime in a sense makes it unnecessary for the BBC to do so. And of course interviews are much more dangerous on television. If the suspect says some- thing that might prejudice an issue, the news- papers can cut it out; television cannot. The Divisional Court of the Queen's Bench Division by some of its recent decisions has made the law of contempt of court ridiculous, but few will dispute that people should be tried for murder in the courts, not on television or in the newspapers. Incidentally the interview was first offered to Independent Television News and Associated- Rediffusion, who with excellent judgment rejected it out of hand.
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