UK News 13-08-2003 Newsnight Journalist Accuses Campbell who: BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan what: Accused of "flawed reporting" by his own boss at "dodgy dossier" inquiry where: The High Court, LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "David Kelly named Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair`s communications chief, to two BBC reporters as the official who `sexed up` the government`s dossier on Iraq`s banned weapons programme, drawn up to justify the case for war," reports The Guardian today. Giving evidence to the Hutton inquiry at the High Court yesterday, BBC reporters Andrew Gilligan (from Radio 4`s Today programme) and Susan Watts (science editor of Newsnight) said the late Dr kelly had mentioned Mr Campbell`s name "in connection with the hotly disputed claim that Iraqi forces could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes of an order to do so." But news of the continuing inquiry has a very different slant in The Times, which says that Kevin Marsh, Gilligan`s editor, had his doubts about the "dodgy dossier" story, describing it in an email as "a good piece of investigative journalism marred by flawed reporting". The Sun, not one to mince words, simply calls Gilligan a liar. Worse still for Gilligan, Ms Watts yesterday told the inquiry that she was unconvinced by Dr Kelly`s remark to her. She described it as "a gossipy aside" and chose not to report it. "Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide after being unmasked as the source of the Gilligan report," explains The Telegraph, "following a Government leak and his subsequent humiliation before the Commons foreign affairs select committee." Lawyer and law lord Lord Hutton, previously best known for ruling that Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet was liable for extradition, is leading the public inquiry into Dr Kelly`s death. [... more]

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