Hillsborough Survivor Anger At Bbc Mackenzie Interview

A Hillsborough disaster subsister has reacted pinch fury to nan BBC's determination to question and reply Kelvin MacKenzie astir nan resignation of its head wide and news CEO.

Mr MacKenzie was nan editor of nan Sun newspaper erstwhile it ran its notorious 'The Truth' header falsely blaming nan 1989 calamity connected Liverpool fans.

The determination to move to Mr MacKenzie was described arsenic "an absolute insult" by president of nan Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance (HSSA), while Liverpool FC officials are understood to beryllium "furious".

The BBC said Mr MacKenzie had been interviewed arsenic portion of a news package connected Sunday evening which "sought a scope of views from group crossed nan media industry".

Director wide Tim Davie and CEO of BBC News Deborah Turness announced they would measurement down connected Sunday aft a leaked soul memo was published successful nan Telegraph newspaper.

The memo said an section of Panorama had misled viewers by splicing together parts of a reside by US President Donald Trump connected 6 January 2021 to make it look arsenic if he had explicitly encouraged nan Capitol Hill riot.

Liverpool FC confirmed it had made interaction pinch BBC Breakfast and BBC News astir nan footage which was repeated 3 times crossed Monday morning's programme.

The nine is understood to beryllium "furious and disappointed" astir nan determination to tally nan interview.

Mr MacKenzie, 79, apologised successful 2012 and said he had been "completely duped" complete nan facts astir nan Hillsborough disaster, but nan newspaper is still boycotted by galore successful Merseyside.

A caller group of inquests successful 2016 concluded that nan 97 victims of nan disaster were unlawfully killed and fans did not origin nan deadly crush successful nan Leppings Lane end.

Peter Scarfe, president of HSSA, said: "It's an absolute insult, a bad reproach to nan memories and families of nan 97.

"It's purely offensive, I conscionable can't judge they would moreover see speaking to personification for illustration him."

Mr Scarfe said survivors for illustration him had been "beaten down for decades" by nan mendacious communicative printed successful nan Sun nan time aft nan disaster.

"I'm still listening to that connected terraces and complete societal media - 'The Sun was right' and nan accustomed comments they make - it's shocking to deliberation that they would spell to him."

Speaking connected nan BBC News Channel connected Sunday, Mr MacKenzie said nan resignations were "the correct point to do - this was an rumor that was ne'er going away".

On nan editing of nan Trump speech, Mr MacKenzie said: "If you can't beryllium trusted connected that [the reside of nan US president] what tin you beryllium trusted on?"

Liverpool supporters' national The Spirit of Shankly reacted pinch "anger and full disbelief" astatine nan determination to see Mr MacKenzie successful a chat astir "journalistic integrity".

It said: "No reminder is needed of nan lies and smears he peddled, not only successful narration to Hillsborough, that proceed to impact group today, which makes it incomprehensible that nan BBC would springiness him a level to talk astir standards and morals successful journalism.

"Utterly offensive."

Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, besides posted connected X: "You couldn't make it up.

"The urgent request for betterment of nan British media has conscionable been perfectly exemplified by BBC Breakfast bringing connected Kelvin MacKenzie to talk astir integrity successful journalism.

"This is nan individual who published genuinely horrific - and now wholly discredited - lies and smears astir Hillsborough victims and survivors successful nan S*n aft nan tragedy.

"Lies that proceed to origin truthful overmuch harm to truthful galore moreover today.

"Shame connected BBC Breakfast."