A BBC Balls-up

Matthew Steeples joins those condemning the BBC for their balls-up in describing the now deceased murdering monster Phil Spector as “talented but flawed”

This morning on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Emma Barnett quite rightly highlighted that the broadcaster she works for “got it wrong” yesterday in their initial reporting of the death of the convicted murderer Phil Spector.

Running a story minutes after this vile abuser and crazed killer’s demise was announced, the BBC lauded him by astoundingly declaring: “Talented but flawed producer Phil Spector dies aged 81.” Unsurprisingly, the corporation then found itself very deservedly slammed on social media for their crass and insensitive insult to this deranged lunatic’s innocent victims.

I, myself, later shared their tweet, but added a mocking caption that pointedly applied ‘Auntie’s’ thoughts to other equally vile deceased individuals. It read:

“Talented but flawed” gravedigger Peter Sutcliffe.

“Talented but flawed” TV manipulator Sir Jimmy Savile.

“Talented but flawed” PR peddler Max Clifford.

Remembering Lana Clarkson, the woman shot dead by Spector – as The Steeple Times also pointed out occurred with media coverage of the high-profile murder trial cases involving the slayings of both Meredith Kercher and Anni Dewani in 2014 – yesterday was not the priority for the BBC and again we remind readers that “it is high time the victims were put first.”

This BBC balls-up should now be reversed: Yesterday didn’t mark the death of someone who ought to be remembered as “talented but flawed.” It marked the death of the monstrous murderer of an innocent 40-year-old actress, model and charity volunteer with her whole life ahead of her, Lana Clarkson.

Pictured top: Megalomaniac murderer Harvey Phillip Spector (26^th December 1939 – 16^th January 2021) with his innocent victim, Lana Clarkson (5^th April 1962 – 3^rd February 2003). She is the one who deserves to be remembered fondly, not him.

Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples.