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Sky News anchor Adam Boulton warned that his colleague Kay Burley’s dispute over breach of coronavirus restrictions has raised concerns about “the credibility of our journalism.”
With station executives weighing their decision on what sanctions Burley’s actions merit and three colleagues who attended his 60th birthday party last weekend, Boulton retweeted several posts about the story on Wednesday, including one that reads: “Look at the status of Sky News. The idiots spent the whole summer preaching to us and now look at them! “
Speaking to The Guardian, Boulton noted that his retweets were not necessarily an endorsement. But he continued: “That said, I retweet things because I think they are in the public interest, and certainly my feed has reflected a lot of people who are very concerned about the credibility of Sky News, and that I think is the important issue: the credibility of our journalism “.
The intervention by the station’s editor-in-chief and former political editor is the first significant comment on the situation from a senior Sky News broadcaster, where executives have been considering how to deal with the fallout from the Burley celebrations since Monday.
Boulton said: “My take is that Sky has worked very hard throughout the Covid crisis and has taken a very clear line on public safety, and obviously something like this perhaps underscores [the importance of] That. “And he noted that he believed the matter was” of great concern “to colleagues at the station.
His concern for credibility will be seen as a reference to his role in holding public figures accountable for their conduct during the crisis. Burley herself has been a harsh interrogator from politicians who have been perceived as excuses for lockdown violations this year.
At a hands-free meeting Wednesday that also covered a variety of more routine topics, Sky News director John Ryley read the statement the company issued Monday expressing “disappointment” and noting that a review was underway.
Burley and his colleagues Beth Rigby, Inzamam Rashid and Sam Washington have been removed from the air during discussions about what sanctions will be imposed. On Tuesday, Burley was withdrawn from consideration for a prestigious television award, while two members of the group signed nondisclosure agreements as Sky sought to limit damage from the line.
With photographs of a group of four arriving at Burley’s home after the main celebration that is understood to be in circulation, several younger staff members said there was a mood of impatience to be clear about what will happen to continuation.
“The situation is unbearable,” said one producer. “The longer it lasts, the worse it gets and the more difficult it is to see this ending without serious punishment.”
Boulton noted that he viewed Burley as a “remarkable” journalist who deserved her success on the station. And he added: “Whatever happens next is not my decision and obviously it is not up to me to criticize colleagues.”
However, his comments will be viewed with alarm by executives in the hopes of keeping staff concerns secret until they make a decision, which is expected this week.
The situation in the air has not been mentioned. Burley herself deleted a tweet saying she was going on vacation on Friday to go “sit with the lions,” adding: “They kill for food, not sport,” a possible reference to media coverage of the situation.
The group celebrating Burley’s birthday began their evening on Saturday at the Century Club in Soho, London, sitting at tables of six and four before heading to a nearby restaurant, Folie. Then a group of four returned to Burley’s home to continue the celebrations.
Burley he apologized for the infringement in a tweet in which she claimed that she had broken the level 2 rules because she was “desperate to go to the bathroom” while waiting for a taxi to come home. But the claim that a group went to his home is not believed to be in dispute.
In May, he conducted a widely shared interview with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove about the Dominic Cummings case, repeatedly asking him to clarify what the government’s advice would be for a member of the public who is “struggling with Covid-19. and you think you have a vision problem, ”referring to Cummings’ explanation of his trip to Barnard Castle.
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