Sex scandals ruin BBC's reputation

Now dozens of TV cameras show the 83-year-old gentleman, who was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen a few months ago, approaching the door of the Royal Court in London. The charges have not been proved yet, but his reputation has been ruined and cannot be restored even after death. Jim Savile, Hall’s late colleague of the same age, who was the famous presenter of several sport shows, even lost the right to a tombstone after being charged with indecent sexual behavior. As the late presenter’s family reported, the tombstone, which was erected on Savile’s grave in 2011, was soon removed and ground to dust. Numerous memorial plaques and even his statue, made during his allegedly vicious lifetime, suffered the same fate. Some hooligans, who authorities never attempted to persue, tagged the gates of Savile’s cottage in Glen Coe with spray paint. The dead man cannot respond to these charges and people are more likely to trust today’s press than a deceased person’s good literary biographies.

British media analyst David Banks says that a good journalist should listen to both sides.

"In this situation, if a mass media brings serious charges against someone, it should fill them with content. Firstly, you should acquaint those you accuse with your charges and see what answer they will give to these allegations."

Meanwhile, mistakes in reports about famous people’s sexual lives, both dead and alive, are far from rare. The latest case occurred in the UK in November 2012 when former treasurer of the Conservative Party, Lord Alistair McAlpine, was charged with sexual harassment of minors on the basis of rumors. Interestingly, this new lie spread as fast as a savannah brush fire due to a Newsnight presenter’s mistake happily perpetuated by social networks. This is how Charlie Beckett, the head of the Media and Communications Department at the London School of Economics, a man with twenty years' experience in international journalism, comments on this situation:

"If you are a journalist, you have to check all the facts you cite. They must be convincing not only for you but also for other people. If you accuse someone, be honest enough to come to the accused person and ask him: look here, is this true or not? These people should have the opportunity to justify themselves, because you can be wrong."

Meanwhile, the press willingly believes stories about dozens of raped girls who allegedly kept silent for decades out of fear. The BBC invites special investigation teams to investigate the company’s internal ways at the time when Savile and Hall were employed there. The BBC is a very important British institution, probably as important as the Army and the Church. However, the Catholic Church and the US Army recently became victims of very similar sexual scandals. Or, possibly, of planned media attacks.

Veteran BBC presenter Stuart Hall charged with rape

Broadcaster Stuart Hall has been charged with one offence of rape and 14 offences of indecent assault, Lancashire Police have said.

Mr. Hall, 83, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, was arrested on Tuesday after attending a police station by appointment.

The rape is alleged to have been committed in 1976 against a 22-year-old woman.

The indecent assaults are alleged to have taken place between 1967 and 1986 on 10 girls aged between nine and 16.

Mr. Hall has been bailed to appear before magistrates in Preston on 7 February.

A Lancashire Police statement said: "Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service an 83-year-old man has this evening been charged with one offence of rape and 14 offences of indecent assault."

Mr. Hall pleaded not guilty to three charges of indecent assault when he appeared at Preston Magistrates' Court earlier this month. The court referred these charges to Preston Crown Court.

The broadcaster is best known for his sports reporting on BBC Radio 5 live - as well as his work on the 1970s TV show It's A Knockout.

Mr. Hall has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century and became an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity.

Voice of Russia, BBC