Martin Bashir

For the former MSNBC show, see Martin Bashir (TV program).

Martin Bashir
Bashir in 2007
Born (1963-01-19) 19 January 1963 (age 61)
London, England
EducationKing Alfred's College of Higher Education
King's College London
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • news anchor
  • musician
Years active1986–2021
Notable credits
SpouseDeborah Bashir
Children3
Musical career
GenresReggae
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • bass guitar

Martin Henry Bashir (born 19 January 1963) is a British former journalist.[1] He was a presenter on British and American television and for the BBC's Panorama programme, for which he gained an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales under false pretences in 1995. Although the interview was much heralded at the time, it was later determined that he used forgery and deception to gain it.[2][3]

Bashir worked for the BBC from 1986 to 1999 on programmes including Panorama before joining ITV. He presented the 2003 ITV documentary about Michael Jackson. From 2004 to 2016, he worked in New York—first as an anchor for ABC's Nightline, then as a political commentator for MSNBC, hosting his own programme, Martin Bashir, and a correspondent for NBC's Dateline NBC. He resigned from MSNBC in December 2013 after making "ill-judged" comments about former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.[4] In 2016, he returned to the BBC as a religious affairs correspondent.

In 2020, the BBC's director general Tim Davie apologised to the princess's brother, Earl Spencer, for Bashir's use of faked bank statements to secure his 1995 Panorama interview with her.[5] Former Justice of the Supreme Court Lord Dyson conducted an independent inquiry[6][7] and concluded that Bashir had commissioned fake statements to deceive Earl Spencer to gain access to Diana, and in so doing had "acted inappropriately and in serious breach of the 1993 edition of the Producers' Guidelines on straight dealing."[2][8][9] Bashir resigned from the BBC in May 2021, citing health reasons.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ "Disgraced BBC journalist Martin Bashir hits back at Prince William over Princess Diana interview". NZ Herald. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mendick, Robert; Yorke, Harry; Ward, Victoria (19 May 2021). "Princess Diana interview probe to find BBC's Martin Bashir guilty of deceit". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 May 2021.(subscription required)
  3. ^ "Ex-BBC boss Tony Hall: Wrong not to sack Bashir after Diana interview". BBC News. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  4. ^ Carter, Bill (4 December 2013). "Martin Bashir Resigns From MSNBC Over Palin Comments". The New York Times.(subscription required)
  5. ^ Urwin, Rosamund (1 November 2020). "BBC says sorry to Diana's brother Earl Spencer for interview 'deceit'". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 November 2020. Spencer is understood to have told Davie that he has records of all his meetings and conversations with Bashir. These are alleged to show that Bashir told Diana fantastical stories to win her trust and that he used the fake bank statements to garner his first meeting with her. (subscription required)
  6. ^ Waterson, Jim (19 November 2020). "Prince William welcomes BBC's investigation into Diana interview". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  7. ^ "BBC announces investigation into 1995 Diana interview". RTE. AFP. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  8. ^ "313.v", Report of The Dyson Investigation by The Right Honourable Lord Dyson, p. 124
  9. ^ Booth, William (20 May 2021). "BBC reporter used 'deceitful behaviour' to secure 1995 Princess Diana interview, investigation concludes". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 May 2021. The former judge found that Bashir carried out a sophisticated ruse and lied to his bosses about it, and that the BBC, having been alerted to his behavior, mostly papered over it and sought to evade scrutiny on the topic.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference resignation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ March, Ally (15 May 2021). "Martin Bashir Quits BBC as Network Prepares to Release Report on His 1995 Princess Diana Interview". People. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Martin Bashir's TV career, from Diana interview to Dyson report". BBC. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021. We now of course have the Dyson report. We didn't have it then. He has resigned from the BBC. There has been no pay off.